The Spark of a Savior
by PenDiva1
Summary: [AU GoF] What if the summer before Harry's fourth year went a little differently, and Harry finally got the family he always wanted? His new found family helps him cope with his abusive past with the Dursleys and the events of his fourth year, but nobody can help Harry as he faces the evil that has been lurking in the shadows of his entire life. (No Slash/Abuse/Mild Language)
1. Prologue

**Chapter One: Prologue**

 **By: PenDiva**

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do not any of this, of course, it is simply inspired by the amazing characters and books by J.K. Rowling.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** This is my first fanfic and I pick up right at the end of Harry's third year and take my own little spin on what happens during the summer before Harry's fourth year and everything that happens after that. I'm expecting this to be a long fanfiction so stay with me here:

...

Harry stood outside Professor Lupin's office and hesitated. He had come up here to say goodbye before he went home to the Dursley's for a month. Knowing this was his last chance to talk to him before he boarded the train, Harry lifted his arm and knocked lightly, pushing the door inwards a little as he did.

"Come in Harry," Remus said, knowing it was him. He was at his desk packing his suitcase as Harry timidly walked into his now bare office.

Harry looked around a little surprised. "Well, you certainly pack quickly."

Remus smiled at Harry knowing he didn't come just to comment on his packing abilities. Harry gazed up at his Professor whom he had learned to admire and respect.

An awkward silence followed, broken by Harry as he said, "Professor - I, I wanted to say - just, um… goodbye before I left. The Dursley's aren't really keen on visitors and well…" Harry stuttered, trying to find the words to express how he was feeling. Professor Lupin was one of the few people who actually cared for him and showed him the love of a parent. Harry was not used to this and clung to this relationship like his life depended on it.

Harry was extremely apprehensive to spend a month with the Dursleys and be away from Remus for so long. After he had satisfied the blood wards, though, he was going to live with Remus and maybe Sirius after they signed some guardianship papers.

Similarly, Remus had grown to care for Harry and took up Sirius's offer to share guardianship of Harry for the last two months of the summer. He knew that Harry hated spending time with the Dursleys. Picking up on Harry's nervousness and fear that only he could with his werewolf senses, Remus walked around the desk and pulled Harry into a hug.

Harry flinched, caught by surprise, and took a second to accept his Professor's sign of affection and then he hugged him back. Remus noticed this and realized that Harry probably hadn't been shown much affection when he was growing up. He silently cursed the Dursley's for treating Harry so terribly.

"It's only for a month and then Sirius and I will take you away from that awful place forever. I promise that you won't stay there any longer than you have to. If that cousin of yours give you any grief, remind them that you have a supposed murderer as a Godfather who is very protective and would hate to hear that you are being mistreated."

Harry smirked at the thought of telling Vernon that. "Don't worry. I will take every chance I get to taunt him." They separated from their hug and Harry hesitated before saying what had really been bothering him this whole time. "By then will Sirius be cleared? I thought that was impossible because Peter escaped."

Remus responded thoughtfully, "Well, I've talked to Dumbledore and I've been writing to Sirius and we think it is possible for him to be fully acquitted even though we never captured Peter. There were five people, including myself, who witnessed what happened in the Shrieking Shack, and they all clearly saw Peter transform into a rat. Spells exist that can test to see if a memory has been tampered with, and I have no doubt in my mind that the Ministry will use them to make sure the memories are legitimate."

Harry nodded, beginning to understand how all this was possible. Still seeing his skepticism, Remus continued saying, "Then, we can use the evidence of the Weasley photo that was in the Daily Prophet and memories from that night 13 years ago to prove that Peter never actually died. With all of that and the fact that he never even got a fair trial last time, I think Sirius could walk away a freed man.

"But is there still a chance that he might go back to Azkaban?" Harry quietly added. This question had been feeding fears in his mind for the past month ever since Remus mentioned that they were going to try to free Sirius. Harry hadn't liked the idea of Sirius turning himself in just for a free trial. People died because of what they thought Sirius did, so what makes Remus so optimistic to think that they would just clear Sirius of all charges?

Remus pursed his lips and briefly thought of how to answer Harry's question. He hated to see Harry so worried for Sirius. Harry obviously felt sick at the thought of his Godfather going back to Azkaban, and Remus didn't know how to tell him that there is a small chance Sirius might be found guilty and sent back to Azkaban.

Reluctantly, Remus finally answered his question. "Harry I would never lie to you. There is a chance that Sirius could go back to Azkaban." Harry's face dropped, even though Remus was simply confirming what he already knew. Remus spoke up again quickly, "But don't you think we have considered this? Sirius knows the risks, and he wouldn't be doing this if he didn't think he had a more than a good chance of being freed. Do you think he wants to go back to that terrible prison?" Harry shook his head, slightly ashamed for being so stupid. Of course Sirius knew what he was doing, why was he so worried? Remus saw this and was instantly reminded of James.

"Harry, it's okay that you feel worried for Sirius. This is exactly what James was like. He cared so much for the people he loved that he hated to see them take risks or put themselves in situations that could possibly hurt them. That's why he came up with the idea to become an animagus and accompany me when I transformed in the Shrieking Shack."

"Really?" Harry said looking up. This was one of the few times Remus had talked about his dad and he soaked up every word.

"Yes, Harry. You care for your friends and for Sirius just like your dad. But I need you to trust me on this. Sirius would never, ever put himself in a situation that wouldn't let him be your guardian. It's what he wants more than anything in the world. He knows what he's doing, and I will be helping him get cleared, so he won't screw it up," Remus finished with a smile. Harry gulped down a few tears and nodded, his head cast down.

"Your father would be very proud of you Harry," Remus said. Two bright green orbs shyly glanced up at him, and Remus had to stop himself from getting too emotional. Lily had looked at him with those same green eyes a long time ago.

He was disrupted from his thoughts as Harry said, "Um, and Remus I also wanted to tell you one other thing." Remus raised his eyebrows expectantly.

"You can tell me anything Harry."

Harry smiled at the thought. He continued softly though and said, "You can't send me my letters while I'm at the Dursleys... And I probably won't be able to send any letters to you."

"And why is that Harry," Remus said patiently.

"Well, I actually might be able to sneak you a few letters through the muggle mail system, but you can't send me anything with owls or even through muggle mail."

Remus looked at him still wanting to know why this was the case. Harry sighed and said, "Vernon hates magic and he hates me, and he doesn't want me to be in contact with anyone from the wizarding world. If he sees owls sending me letters or if he sees that someone is trying to contact me, he might punish me."

"Why would he punish you for getting letters?"

Harry cringed, thinking about Vernon's punishments. He had already vowed never to tell Remus about them however. "Vernon thinks that if someone is trying to get in touch with me, it has something to do with magic, or something like that, and he doesn't want me to use magic on him or Dudley. I don't know, he's just really paranoid about this stuff," Harry rushed to say.

Remus nodded, accepting the answer but suspecting there was more to it.

"Harry, what do you mean Vernon will punish you?"

Harry shrugged, thinking quickly and trying not to make a big deal about his answer. "Probably he won't let me eat meals for a day or he'll give me more chores. It's no big deal," Harry said casually.

"Harry, this is a big deal and I don't want you missing meals. I won't send you any letters, though. Are those Dursleys treating you well and taking care of you, Harry?"

Harry snorted and half heartedly said, "They can barely take care of themselves." At Remus's concerned expression though he added, "Yes, Remus they're treating me fine. They just don't like magic and they are constantly afraid that I will try to use my magic on them. Really, I'm fine," Harry finished looking his teacher straight in the eye so he wouldn't see through his small lie.

Remus smiled but in the back of his mind he questioned whether Harry was really 'fine'. "Okay, Harry. I just care about you too much."

"Thank, you Remus. I… I guess I will be seeing you soon then?"

"Yes, I will come to get you sooner than you can blink," Remus wrapped Harry in one more hug before reminded him that he had a train to catch.

Harry blushed slightly and realized that he had been talking to Remus for a while and he now had to leave. Remus said, "Goodbye Harry."

Harry left from Remus' office and hurried out into the hallway. His trunk and the rest of his bags were right where he left them, outside the Defense Against the Dark Arts Classroom. Harry grabbed his stuff and hauled it towards the train, suddenly thankful that he packed lightly.

On his way down he pulled a slightly crumpled letter from his pocket. It was addressed to Sirius, and it had what Harry had wanted to say to his Godfather before Sirius had to leave. He wanted to get this letter to him as soon as he could, but he struggled to write it for a few days. Harry had spent a few hours last night trying to put his emotions into words so that he could send it to Sirius with Hedwig.

Now, though, as he thought about what Remus had said, he was even more glad that he had written it. The Dursley's wouldn't let Hedwig out of her cage because they disliked Harry communicating with the wizarding world. Harry had to get this letter to Sirius before he got to the Dursleys. He knew it would mean a lot to his Godfather.

The letter read:

 _Dear Snuffles,_

 _There were a few things that I have been meaning to tell you after you left. I wanted to apologize. I wrongly accused you in the shrieking shack which I had no business doing without knowing all the facts. I know that you are innocent and I want to help Remus in any way I can to prove that to the ministry and put the right man behind bars._

 _Remus told me not to worry, but I can't help but imagine what would happen if you are found guilty. Please be careful at the trial. I hate to think about you risking your life just to be my guardian._

 _I really want to get to know you as my Godfather this summer. Remus said if all goes well you should be cleared by the Ministry by the time I get back from the Dursleys, so we can talk more in a month. My dad trusted you with his life so I know that I can too. I know that you said you felt like you failed me as a Godfather, but that isn't your fault. You were in Azkaban and there wasn't a thing you could do to change that. We can't change what happened in the past so let's put it behind us and try to make the most of this summer._

 _I will try to send you some letters this summer with Hedwig but last summer Vernon locked up Hedwig and wouldn't let me read the letters people sent me. Don't tell Vernon though, but I think I've found a way around that… If that doesn't work, don't worry if I don't send you any letters for a while. Please don't send me any letters, though. Vernon will punish me for receiving mail from the Wizarding World._

 _Hopefully, this first month in the summer passes very quickly! I can't wait to see you again. I will count the days until June 30th!_

 _Sincerely,_

 _Harry_

Satisfied with the brief letter, Harry quickly folded the letter and addressed it to Sirius using his code name they agreed on while the Ministry was still looking for him. He gave it to Hedwig but not before stroking her feathers affectionately. Hedwig returned the gesture by nipping at Harry's sleeve, but dutifully took Harry's letter and looked questioningly at Harry. Sensing the bird's confusion Harry said, "It's for Sirius, but I had to address it to Snuffles because the Ministry is still looking for him." The intelligent bird hooted in understanding and flew off immediately.

Harry sighed as his thoughts went out to Sirius who was still being pursued by the ministry. As much as Harry wanted him to be freed and declared innocent though, Harry knew he wouldn't be able to live with himself if Sirius was sent back to Azkaban. Sirius had been determined to take him away from the Dursley's the minute Harry mentioned how much he hated it there, so Sirius asked Remus to help him get a fair trial.

'What if it doesn't work? What if Sirius is given the Dementor's Kiss?' Harry blinked away a few tears that were threatening to fall as he conjured up images of his Godfather in Azkaban receiving the Kiss. He tried to clear his mind of those depressing thoughts and silently hoped that would never happen. Hastily picking up his stuff again, he kept a brisk pace the rest of the way to the train.

...

Remus stood still for a minute to catch his breath after apparating. In front of him was a grand house that belonged to the Black family but was recently abandoned when Sirius's brother died. It was a few miles off the main village, which was tucked away in Northern London.

Walking into the front room, Remus quickly used the Scourgify spell to clean up the thick layer of dust that coated the furniture. He found the stairs to the right of the main room and remembered the instructions Padfoot had given him. He opened the door to what would be Harry's room. It was very fitting for Harry; roomy, yet cozy but unfortunately the colors definitely resembled that of a Slytherin. Sighing, Remus began a mental list for everything he would have to do to get the room ready for Harry.

Thinking about Harry staying with him for over half the summer greatly brightened his mood, however. He still couldn't bear the thought of Harry staying with those awful muggles, but that couldn't be helped.

Pulling out his wand Remus then began to change all the colors to be fitting for a Gryffindor, and he made the room best fit Harry's needs.

A half an hour later, Remus began to get a little tired from all the magic, but he seemed satisfied with what he had accomplished today. He proceeded to the next room that needed work. Grimly the werewolf began to manually clean what magic had left behind. The first month of the summer was going to be awfully long.

...

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Thank you all for reading! I have a pretty decent outline for this fanfic, but I don't know if anyone will even read this. I admit this is my first fanfic I've written so please review with constructive criticism! I will try to review all your fanfics in return. Thanks again! I hope to post again in a few days.


	2. Rough Start

**Chapter Two: Rough Start**

By: PenDiva

 **DISCLAIMER:** I don't own any of the characters of Harry Potter, blah blah blah it all belongs to J. K. Rowling.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** This is Chapter Two of this fanfiction! Please review with suggestions, comments, ideas, constructive criticism, etc. Thanks!

…

Harry sat down in the train and was immediately greeted by all of his Gryffindor friends. Hermione, being her usual perceptive self, immediately asked him where he had been before he got on the train.

"Sorry, 'mine. I went to go talk to Remus."

His open book personality betrayed him however whenever Hermione gave him a pointed look that said, 'and… what did you talk to him about…?'

Sighing a little but smiling, Harry said, "I just wanted to say goodbye. I'm moving in with him but I still have to stay with the Dursley's for a while. Before I can stay with them, Remus is going to work on clearing Sirius's name."

"That's great Harry! I know you're really excited about spending more time with him," Ginny said encouragingly. She had always been able to read Harry's feelings so easily.

"Hey, thanks guys. I will miss you for the first month though. I'll try to send you tons of owls."

Ron, "Aw, Harry, you can't just send us owls! You should come over to the Burrow for a night or two. Mum will take good care of you. Don't you think those muggles would let you come over for a few days? And Neville, you could ask your Grandma if you could spend some time with all your favorite red heads."

As Neville answered that question, Harry was just glad the attention was off of him. He knew that the Dursley's would barely let him out of the yard, much less go see some of his 'freakish friends'.

Then Ginny changed the conversation as she talked about electives for next year. "Hey guys, what classes do you think I should take? I'm having a hard time choosing between Care of Magical Creatures and Divination."

"Don't take Divination."

"Make sure you take Divination"

Hermione and Ron looked at each other curiously surprised at their own disagreement. Ron spoke up quickly. "Ginny, it is a really easy class and you don't have to work very hard. All you need to do is predict your doom every few days and pretend you see some terrible future for yourself. Then make up weird dreams you had where you lose all your teeth. That always make Trelawney go off on a rant."

Hermione then submitted her opinion, "No offense Ron, but what is the point in that? Wouldn't you rather learn valuable information that could save your life one day? Sorry, but the class was a complete waste of time. When are you going to need to predict your future as you're fighting for your life?"

Harry then added chuckling, "Hermione didn't exactly get along with Trelawney. You can do whatever you want Ginny, but I will say that crazy old lady predicted my untimely demise almost every time she saw me. It got kind of annoying and depressing after a while."

Ginny's eyes were wide, overwhelmed from all this information. Neville couldn't help it and he burst out laughing remembering what had happened in Trelawney's classroom. That got the whole carriage lost in giggles. Ron then proceeded to do an impressive imitation of Trelawney's weird tremble and shaky voice. This set all of the friends into another round of laughing.

After they had calmed down a little, they then chatted about summer plans and Ron mentioned the upcoming Quidditch World Cup.

"Is it in England this year?" Harry asked.

Ron nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah, and Dad even said we might even get tickets for our whole family. The ministry has spent the last four years building the stadium!"

"Wow. I really hope my Grandma lets me get tickets so that I can go," Neville said.

Hermione rolled her eyes a little. "Even if she doesn't Neville, you probably aren't missing much. It's just a quidditch game." Ron looked like someone had just slapped him.

"Just a quidditch game!?" Harry put a hand on Ron's arm to calm him down.

"Ronald, you must understand that girls simply do not have the capacity to understand the true brilliance of sports. Except for maybe Ginny," Harry added after seeing her insulted expression. Ron still looked a little flushed but didn't want to upset his friends.

The rest of the ride home was generally uneventful, but Harry was getting more and more nervous about going with the Dursleys. Last summer did not have a great ending with Harry blowing up his Aunt Marge and creating a major scene. This would be even worse than the summer before that. Before his second year, Vernon had fell out the window as Harry escaped the Dursleys through a flying car. He was unscathed but still humiliated and Harry payed for it next summer.

But if there is anything Vernon hates more than falling out of a window, it's making a scene and drawing the attention of the public. He already went to enough extremes to make sure none of his neighbors knew about Harry's ability to perform magic. A fat flying lady was sure to cause some questions and raise a few eyebrows. If that wasn't enough, a squadron of police cars had shown up at his house after a 911 call was made. Then the ministry showed up to deal with the incident of accidental magic. Unfortunately for Harry though, they never wiped the memories of his Aunt and Uncle because they already knew about magic and they had done enough obliviate charms for one day. Vernon would have that embarrassing day ingrained in his memory for years.

Harry had gotten really quiet as these thoughts swirled in his head and this didn't go unnoticed by his friends. Ginny put her hand on his knee, startling him from his stupor. Harry looked around to see his friends with looks of concern on their faces. They knew that Harry had gone through a lot after seeing Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black. He had only recently discovered the truth about his parents betrayal. Thinking that this is what that was about, they tried to get him to talk.

"Are you okay Harry?" Ginny asked him patiently.

He gave them the best smile he could manage and shrugged off the comment. "Yeah, I'm fine guys really. I just got too thinking..." He trailed off clearly not wanting to continue."

"Oh no not again! You and your thoughts. One of these days I swear you are going to turn into Hermione," Ron joked, trying to lighten the mood. Harry was able to give a believable laugh and his friends let the conversation end there. Ginny however, was frustrated that she had let what was troubling Harry slide so easily, and gave her older brother a sour face while Harry wasn't looking. Ron just returned the rude face.

Too soon for Harry though, the train came to a gentle halt and voices were heard in the hallways as students got off the train to greet their families. Everyone in Harry's cabin grabbed their bags and stepped off the train and onto the busy platform at King's Cross.

At first Harry walked over to the Weasley's and was caught in one Mrs. Weasley's bear hugs before he could say anything.

"How have you been Harry? I was so worried when the paper was publishing all that stuff about Sirius Black but I'm so glad you are safe! You be careful this summer now, you hear?"

Harry smiled at the woman's genuine concern. Behind him though he heard the one voice that he had been dreading to hear this entire time.

"There you are boy! Look at how late you've kept us! How dare you hold us up like this!"

Harry quickly tried to ease Mrs. Weasley's worry by saying, "Don't worry, he just gets worked up sometimes." Vernon stopped his rant as soon as he saw the other wizards standing protectively around Harry. Ron was giving him an angry glare and Hermione and Ginny had their hands on their hips.

Harry looked at his uncle and grabbed his trunks even though he didn't want to leave. Vernon putt his meaty hand on his shoulder growled into his ear, "Take your bags and get in the car without making a scene you little brat!" Pushing Harry roughly, Vernon turned to say some choice words to Mr. Weasley before he left.

Harry chanced a glance over his shoulder to give his friends a grim look and wave a little before hurrying out of the station. An out of breath Dursley quickly followed suit.

As Hermione watched Vernon and Harry disappear into the crowd her heart went out to her best friend. She knows that he puts on a brave face when he is actually hurting inside and she was worried about him spending a month with the Dursleys.

"Ginny," Hermione started.

"I'm worried about him, 'Mine."

"I know. But how much do you think he isn't telling us?" She looked at Ginny hopelessly. The Weasley just shrugged.

"He knows that we are here for him but for some reason he doesn't want to tell us what is hurting him. I know it's hard Hermione, but I guess we just have to trust that he knows how to take care of himself." These surprisingly wise words from Ginny were just the thing to stop Hermione from marching over to Harry and dragging him home with her.

The Weasley boys shared similar looks, obviously noting something was off, but they didn't say anything.

….

Vernon was eerily quiet the whole car ride home and Harry kept fidgeting with his shirt, nervous about getting back to Privet Drive. When they did, he was grabbed by the collar and roughly thrown out of the car and onto the ground. Vernon turned around and shook his finger at Harry.

"Get every single thing you brought from that school into that cupboard right now and then get in your room. I will be up there for a little chat." He then stood there and watched Harry with keen eyes as Harry scrambled to get all of his things from the trunk. He heaved it all in through the front door and got it into the cupboard. He then scooted around Vernon and practically ran upstairs.

Annoyed that he didn't get a chance to grab his wand, Harry sat on his bed in his room and watched the door for his uncle. His knees were bouncing up and down as he thought about the worst that could happen. He could hear his uncle stomping around talking to Aunt Petunia, but he couldn't hear what they were saying. Vernon finally came upstairs and barged into Harry's room.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING YOU STUPID BOY! HOW DARE YOU BLOW UP MARGE!" Harry shrank into the far corner of his bed so Vernon couldn't kick him. "I HAD TO DEAL WITH NOT ONLY THE POLICE BUT ALSO YOUR BLASTED WIZARD FOLK!" He continued on his rant for another five minutes and Harry winced at every forceful word, anticipating pain.

It came all of a sudden when Vernon grabbed Harry around the neck and hauled him off the bed. Gasping for air and fighting for his life, Harry was violently thrown to the ground. Blinking away stars, he curled up into a ball and Vernon kicked at his him only stopping when he heard Harry gasp and whimper from the growing bruises. "That better teach you a lesson, you little FREAK! And don't think this ends here BOY! I'M INTEND ON MAKING THIS THE WORST SUMMER OF YOUR LIFE!" He then left Harry's room, slamming the door and locking it behind him.

Harry lay there breathing hard, but still relieved that Vernon hadn't done anything worse then give him some colorful bruises. He would still be able to do all of his chores. Gently lifting himself off the ground, Harry climbed back onto his thin mattress and curled up into a ball again. This was a rough start to the summer and it was only going to get worse.

...

Remus stood at the front door waiting for a black dog to appear. He was beginning to worry something had happened to his childhood friend when Sirius came strolling down his front walk in his animated form. Remus sighed in relief and hastily opened the door to let him inside. Sirius waited for the door to close before he changed back into a human. Instantly the two men embraced like brothers who hadn't seen each other in years.

As they broke apart, Remus said, "I was beginning to worry that something had happened, Sirius!"

Sirius beamed at his best friends worry but tried to reassure him, "Sorry Moony. I tried to avoid wizards who might suspect me being an animagus and I had to take a back route." Sirius had come from a cave up north where he had been living for the past month. The ministry was still looking for him, but they didn't know of his ability to turn into a black dog.

"How's Harry?" Sirius asked.

Remus sighed. "He came into my office before leaving just to say goodbye. It's not like him to get so clingy and emotional so I think he was just worried about going back to the Dursley's for a month. But don't fret Sirius, you will see him in a few short weeks."

"I know, but I still want to yank him from that awful muggle home sooner rather then later."

Remus tried to put a calming hand on Sirius. "We have to worry about getting you cleared first. We won't help Harry by worrying about him."

Sirius nodded in understanding. "What will we have to do to get my name cleared?"

Remus said frowning, "It's going to be tricky. You have to request a trial with veritaserum and a pensieve and agree to turn yourself in if you get a fair trial. We can show them pictures of Wormtail as a rat and use memories from that night. It should be a good enough case and we should have you free in a week. Could you manage until then?"

"Yes, but I want to get this over with. How do I request a trial with veritaserum?"

Remus led him to the living room where he then explained everything Sirius would have to do to be freed. Soon after he was finished though, A light tapping was heard at the window. A white bird was flying outside the window waiting to be let in.

"Oh Hedwig! Does Harry have a letter for me?" Sirius asked the owl as he opened the window. Hedwig gave a conforming hoot and flew to a table where Sirius untied the letter from his leg.

"It's from Harry." Sirius sat down on the couch and read over the letter twice before looking up at Remus with tears in his eyes.

"He reminds me so much of Lily. He just wanted to apologize for thinking I was a murderer. And then he said he trusted me and wants to get to know me... and... he is going to send me letters..." By now Remus had come over and wrapped his arms around Sirius and hugged him.

This was just what Sirius needed to hear. He had been holding up all the pain of Azkaban inside and he was worrying that Harry wouldn't want him as a Godfather. Knowing that Harry trusted him was going to seriously help Sirius get through the process of becoming free.

All Sirius could think about was how relieved he felt knowing that his Godson really did want him. The Dementors had created a huge hole in his heart and a fear of being abandoned and unwanted.

Remus sent Harry a mental thank-you. He doesn't even know how much this letter means to Sirius. "You will get that chance Sirius, but right now you have to get ready for tomorrow."

Sirius nodded. As they broke apart from their hug, Sirius gripped Harry's letter and went to the table to write a response.

...

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Thank-you to everyone who are reading this! I would really appreciate some reviews if you have a minute! Thanks again, and I hope I will be posting soon.


	3. A Free Man

**Chapter Three: A Free Man**

By: PenDiva

 **DISCLAIMER:** None of the characters or ideas for this fanfiction belong to me obviously!

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** This is Chapter Three! Hope you all like it but please write me a review with your own thoughts. I really do like to read them! I went back and added some things to the first and second chapter after some really good advice from a review. I'm very new at this so reviews are extremely helpful. Alright now on to the story!

…

Harry woke up from a nightmare that he'd rather forget and noticed that his head was throbbing and other areas of his body were still sore. He was barely wrapped up in his blanket because it had been a very hot start to summer and his bedroom didn't have air conditioning. Yesterday had been fairly boring for Harry. He had gotten off the train and got a firm beating from Vernon. Then for the rest of the day the Dursley's ignored him, preferring to just lock him in his room. Today however, he guessed that they would put him to work.

He reached over to his nightstand and put on his glasses, still trying to shake off sleep. He could see on his clock that it was still before 7 o'clock. Getting up silently, he went over to the reason he had been woken up; a persistent tapping on his window.

Hedwig was flying just outside his window with a letter tied to her leg. Harry messed with the window for a while and was finally able to let his bird in, who made some loud hoots.

"Sh!" Harry said quickly, trying to quiet the bird.

When she had finished flapping around happily, she settled down on his bed. Harry quickly grabbed at the letter and released it from around Hedwig's leg. She then resumed her usual perch above his dresser. Before he could read the letter though, Vernon's loud movements could be heard from the hallway.

Harry shoved the letter in the top drawer of his dresser and prayed Vernon wouldn't find it. He sent a warning glance at Hedwig trying to tell her to be quiet.

Keys could be heard in the lock however and soon the door slammed open and a red faced Vernon was standing in the doorway. "BOY! What is waking me up at such an early hour!" he then spotted the white owl perched above Harry's dresser. Scowling, he said, " I don't want to see anymore of that ruddy bird! You will keep him locked in his cage this whole summer if you have to! No more letters to your freakish friends! And if I see him out of his cage, you will pay! Now get downstairs and get breakfast started," he finished after Harry put Hedwig in her cage.

Harry hurried downstairs, glad that Vernon was too tired to do anything more then yell at him. Soon enough, the smell of cooking eggs and bacon made Harry's stomach rumble. Aunt Petunia had come downstairs and watched over his shoulder.

"Don't you burn Dudley's breakfast now!"

"Yes, Aunt Petunia," Harry replied robotically. Satisfied, his aunt went to sit down at the table.

"You can eat some of this terrible food you made to do your chores and that will be your meal for today." Harry nodded, content to finally eat something. He set the table and ate his meal as Petunia wrote up a list of chores for today.

"It better be done flawlessly, and I will be around to check. Vernon is getting ready for a very important dinner party in less than two weeks. The house better look perfect by then." Harry just nodded, already looking over his list of chores.

This would be a lot to finish in one day. He started by washing up the dishes and then moved outside to clean up the yard before it got to hot out. He desperately wanted to go upstairs to read his letter, but he didn't want Vernon to find it. He vowed to read it tonight while he used it as motivation to finish the rest of his chores.

He weeded for a while and trimmed the hedges in the front before he got out an old lawn mower and started pushing it through the front yard. He could feel the painful rays from the sun beating down on his back, and he wished he had some way to cool himself off.

His lips were dry and his throat was parched after an hour of outside work, and Harry had to take a break to sip some water from the hose. Petunia would have gotten mad if she saw him taking a break for a drink of water. She would accuse him of slacking off and a bunch of other crap that Harry hated to hear. He moved quickly back to the front yard and started up the lawn mower again.

Before he could finish with mowing the lawn though, Dudley's friends decided to sneak up on Harry and beat him up. They hadn't seen him for over nine months and wanted to take this opportunity to make his life miserable.

Harry pushed the lawnmower down the last patch of grass, heading towards the house. The loud hum of its motor blocked out the sound of footsteps of Dudley's gang creeping up behind him. Harry shut off the mower and went to wheel it away when he heard snickering behind him.

Harry's heart jumped in his throat and he turned around sharply. In a flash, two people had his arms pinned behind his back and were dragging him to the side of the house where there weren't any windows. Harry struggle and tried to shout but someone clamped a hand over his mouth and then they threw him on the ground.

"Looks like the freak failed to blow himself up at that little school of his," Dudley said.

Looking up Harry saw his six least favorite people all standing around him. They each had over 100 pounds on him and evil grins on their faces. Scrambling away, Harry stood up but Dudley's goons backed him up against the house. He was sweating from the heat, and knew he would have very little energy to run away.

"Miss us Harry?"

"I bet you didn't have any friends at your boarding school!"

"Do you want your mommy now? Oh wait, I forgot. She's dead, isn't she?"

Harry was surprised at their ruthlessness. Dudley's gang had never been this cruel, even to some of the neighborhood kids. He still couldn't do anything yet though because he was surrounded, so he stood there and waited for a chance to get away.

One of the biggest guys stepped forward and slugged Harry right in the gut before Harry could try to protect himself. Harry gasped for air and tried to shield his face for the next blow that he could feel coming. Another fist came out and hit him in the head, making Harry fall to the ground.

His world was spinning.

For some reason, as Harry laid on the ground and stared at the sun, all he could think about was how hot he was. Even while he was receiving some brutal kicks to every area of his body, Harry only wished for some way to cool himself off, and run away from this situation. He silently wished for some miracle that would let him escape Dudley's gang.

Harry felt someone tried to grab his arm to force him to stand up but then the boy screamed in pain when he touched Harry's skin. Suddenly, Harry did feel cooled off. He couldn't describe the feeling though. It was like cold electricity had shot through him and into the other boy. Confused, Harry looked at the kid next to him who was clutching his arm from an invisible burn.

"Come on get him up ya' big baby! We have to give him a few scars to remember us!" Dudley screamed. But the boys had stopped their attack. Mad at his friends for stopping, Dudley came up and punched Harry in the stomach but Harry never felt it. Dudley did though, and reared back from the burning sensation he felt on his hand.

"It's his freakishness!" The goons backed away scared, giving Harry just enough time to slip through a few legs and start running for his life.

He had a weird burst of energy that he couldn't explain and he wasn't sweating from the heat anymore. Not even stopping to think about this, Harry used his arm to swing around the side of the house and propel himself as fast as he could toward the road.

"Get him!"

"Don't let him reach the road!"

"He'll pay for that trick and burning my freakin' arm off!"

Harry did his best to ignore the angry shouts behind him and focused on rhythmically pumping his legs and arms and getting away as fast as he could. He had a lot of practice with sprints because of Dudley's gang, and they really payed off. In less than a minute, the boys were out of sight, and Harry stopped short to hide behind a trash can.

There were a few more distant shouts, but Harry knew that Dudley hated running and had given up a while ago. Sighing Harry clutched his stomach and felt the worst of the bruises he had just received. 'At least no broken bones this time,' he said, remembering other days in his childhood when he wasn't so lucky.

Harry sat there for a few minutes catching his breath and going over in his head everything that had happened. He was working in this unbearable heat when Dudley's gang jumped him and tried to beat him up. Nothing new there.

But then Harry got confused. He had simply thought about how hot he was and how he wished he had some way to cool down and then escape, and that's exactly what happened. He remembered the weird feeling he got every time somebody touched him. It was as if his magic had transferred all the heat he was feeling onto the other person's skin - which was enough to burn.

Harry was mortified at first. "What will Dudley say to Vernon?" Then he thought about how scared Dudley had been, and he hoped maybe his cousin had decided to keep his mouth shut for once.

Then Harry thought about the accidental magic he had just done. 'I burned someone! Just by thinking about how hot I was!' he thought despairingly.

This wasn't good. 'Two days into the summer and my magic is going crazy.' Harry thought. He was just glad Vernon hadn't been around. Harry then vowed to try extra hard this summer to make sure nothing happened with his accidental magic, because he knew Vernon wouldn't leave him unharmed for it.

"I have to learn to keep my emotions in check, and suppress my magic when it decides to come out," Harry repeated, mumbling slightly.

After he promised himself to have an uneventful summer after today, Harry walked back to Number 4 Privet Drive. The whole time his nerves were on high alert for a jump attack, and Harry walked in the middle of the road to be safe.

'That's another thing,' Harry thought. 'I'll have to stay away from Dudley and his gang this summer, or next time my magic might try to do something more extreme.'

When Harry saw the front yard without a few angry gang members, he closed his eyes and smiled in relief.

Sneaking back into the house, Harry heard noises of violent video games coming from the living room. He went quietly up the stairs and went through a mental checklist of all the chores he had to finish. A few of them were upstairs so Harry did those first to avoid Dudley's gang.

After Dudley's gang left though, Dudley didn't say a word to Harry for the next week, and he never told Vernon anything.

…

Sirius's knees bounced in anticipation. They had sent the letter asking the Ministry for a fair trial last night, and he thought they would respond quickly. Glancing at the clock again, Sirius sighed and went to go help Remus.

Remus had been working non stop trying to get the house ready for Harry. He wanted to make it perfect. This was his way of showing how much he cared for Harry. Sirius didn't clean nearly as much as Remus, but he still worried a lot about his Godson.

Walking into his bedroom, Sirius said casually, "Hey Remus, do you need any help?"

"Yeah I could use some help. The laundry is in a big pile outside the door," he responded smiling.

"Oh. Really? Do we not have any house elves?"

Remus shrugged. "I don't actually own any, but if there are some house elves that belonged to your family we can set them to work once you're freed."

Sirius grumbled a bit before robotically beginning to sort laundry. Amused at his friend's obvious reluctance to do some laundry, Remus continued what he was doing. He was using a bit of magic and muscle to fix a dresser in Sirius's room.

When he finished, he walked into the hall to see if he should help Sirius when he found the clothes mostly sorted and Sirius leaning against the wall staring at a few socks.

"Sirius, there is a simple spell you can use to clean clothes since we don't have house elves."

Sirius looked up and gave a tiny smile. "Yeah I know." With a lackadaisical swish of his wand, the clothes leaped in and out of the soapy water that he had conjured and performed a dance-like routine of washing and drying themselves.

"Remus," Sirius started using his friend's first name meaning he had a serious question, "what if we can't be Harry's guardians? What makes us qualified enough?"

Remus had wondered why his friend was always so worried. Maybe Azkaban had made him doubt himself or get too scared to take risks. Sirius had always been joking and fun, jumping head first into something without knowing what he was doing. It was one of the things Remus liked and hated about Sirius. He was so fun and brought out a young playful side of Remus, but he did get himself into a lot of danger sometimes. 'Azkaban must have really taken a toll on him,' Remus thought.

"Sirius, we don't have to be perfect guardians. We are already a kind of dysfunctional family, but that doesn't matter. Anything we provide him will be ten times better then any 'family' Harry had at the Dursleys. Harry admires and looks up to you Sirius, so you need to stop worrying."

"He looks up to you too Remus," Sirius commented. They both were temporarily lost in thought about how much they cared for Harry. They were interrupted though when a loud hoot was heard from the kitchen. The two men looked at each other, apprehensive about the reply the ministry gave.

Sirius went downstairs quickly and grabbed the letter from the owl who stood there staring at him. Skimming it quickly he said, "They agreed to a fair trial. Now I just have to turn myself in and hope for the best." Sirius took a shaky breath and looked at his friend.

"Just keep thinking about being Harry's guardian, and you will get through this."

"Alright, thanks Moony," he said with a crooked smile. Setting the letter down, Sirius turned on the spot and apparated to the ministry.

As soon as he arrived, loud alarms went off and there was a lot of shouting. Sirius's instincts told him to run and get out of the situation as soon as he could but he stood there and waited to be taken away. A group of Auror's surrounded him and hit him with a disarming spell, quickly followed by a stunning spell. Sirius's world went black as he heard Fudge shouting at the aurors.

When Sirius finally woke up and his head cleared up enough to open his eyes, he wasn't surprised at what he saw. He was in a cell in the Ministry with a lot of powerful wards on it and two auror's as guards at the door. Sirius sat up and tried to stop his head from swimming. Getting hit with so many stunners at one point was very discombobulating.

The auror's noticed him sitting up and cast a patronus as a message that Sirius was awake. Not ten minutes later, a Ministry official walked into the room followed by the guards that stood at his door.

He spoke to Sirius with a cold, stern look on his face. "Your trial will begin in less than an hour and they require you to provide the names of the people you wish to bring for questioning and submitting of memories."

Sirius looked surprised that the trial was so early. "They are holding the trial today?"

The man scowled. "Yes Black, we don't want a murder such as yourself locked up down here any longer than necessary. No need to get the public in a frenzy."

Sirius really hated the man's tone. Calling him a murderer didn't help the situation either. "I have four names I wish to give, if you don't mind," he said between his teeth.

The man pulled out a piece of parchment and handed the quill to Black while keeping a sharp eye on everything the man did.

Sirius quickly wrote down the names of the people who witnessed the events of the Shrieking Shack; Remus Lupin, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Severus Snape. He excluded Harry as a witness knowing the complicated situation with his relatives.

Satisfied, the man left Sirius's cell and went to summon the people on the list and ask them for memories.

...

The Weasley's had just sat down for lunch when there was a knock at their front door. Looking up from her meal in confusion, Mrs. Weasley went to greet their unexpected visitor.

Standing on her doorstep was a slightly bored looking Ministry official, but he straightened up when the woman answered the door. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Weasley. My name is Nicholas Straus from the Justice Department at the Ministry of Magic. Madam, I'm going to need a few minutes of your time to explain why I am here and then I will be escorting your son Ronald Weasley to the ministry to submit a memory for an upcoming trial. He is not being charged for anything, we just need to use his memories as evidence and to testify for what he saw a few months ago, as it pertains to a certain crime that was committed." Mrs. Weasley looked a little surprised and stared at the man for a second before letting him in to explain what he wanted more in depth.

Smiling now, the man sat down in the woman's living room and looked at the many heads of red hair peeking in from the doorway.

"Boys, go finish your lunch and I will come get you if I need to," Mrs. Weasley told them in a no funny business tone. The children all went away whispering about why they thought he was here. "Now tell me why you think my son is wrapped up in some mess about crimes and trials," she huffed looking slightly annoyed.

The man then apologized for making her think that Ron had done something wrong, and continued to brief over why they needed the memories. When he came to the part about Sirius Black, Mrs. Weasley gasped.

"That murderer? I don't want my son anywhere near him, much less submitting a memory for his trial!"

"Madam, if it makes you any more comfortable I can have him submit his memory here and he would never have to go to where Black is being held. This is part of what we must do. Surely you wouldn't want to send a possibly innocent man to Azkaban?"

Mrs. Weasley looked shocked. "Well... no sir, of - of course I wouldn't... but surely you can't... you don't think Black, is innocent - do you?" she finished shakily, trying not to think about the horrific acts the man had done.

"Mam, I am not one to judge, I am just doing my job. The ministry agreed to letting him have a fair trial, and that is what will be done. I really must be on my way, so if I could see your son Ronald and ask him to submit his version of what happened that night?" Mrs. Weasley nodded reluctantly and went quickly to get her son.

Ron came into the room but already knew why he was here. Remus had sent him a letter telling him about what they planned on doing and what they needed from Ron, who was more than happy to help Harry's godfather be freed.

"Is this for Sirius?"

The man tried to hide his surprise, "Yes… are you on speaking terms with that man? Wait, how did you know?"

Ron panicked, not sure what to say, especially with his mother shooting him questioning glares. "Well, ever since that night… It's kind of strange to see someone who you think is a murderer bite your leg off but then fight to save your life, um… never mind. I was was also told someone might come asking for a memory…" Ron finished.

Mrs. Weasley spoke up defensively, "Yes, that's fine Ron, just submit your memory and then the Mr. Straus can leave." The man from the ministry nodded. Ron then did as he was instructed and a few minutes later, his memory of everything that happened that night in the Shrieking Shack was floating around in a small glass vile.

"Thank you so much for your time, but I really must be off." And with that, the man headed to go deal with getting a memory from his next witness; a student from a muggle family.

As the man left, Ron sat down with his mother and explained everything about that night to his mom. She still thought Sirius was a murderer and Ron thought it was time to tell her the truth, especially since he knew he was going to be Harry's guardian.

…

Hermione had been working on a Potions essay when she heard the definitive knocking at the front door. Moving quickly, she opened the door to greet the man who just entered.

"Hello, are you Hermione Granger?"

"Yes, I-," Hermione started but her dad cut her off.

"Hermione dear, who is this?" Hermione's dad asked, with his wife behind her.

"Excuse me, I don't believe I introduced myself," Straus said remembering to be polite with muggles. "My name is Nicholas Straus, and I am from the Justice Department at the Ministry of Magic-"

"What do you mean Justice Department? Did Hermione do something wrong? Surely she wouldn't! Are you here for her?" The woman asked anxiously, glancing at her daughter.

Straus was slightly surprised at the woman's quick answer, but replied cooly, "No mam. I am just here to collect a few memories from your daughter to use as evidence in the upcoming trial of Sirius Black. It is nothing too extreme, but instead of having her come all the way to the ministry to testify, I am going to collect her memories here. This is standard procedure in the wizarding world."

Hermione looked at her dad who looked frightened at the man's presence. Her mother though, ushered the man inside who sat with them in the living room to explain what he was doing in more depth. Hermione stood in the doorway, amused, and waited for them to finish talking.

When they did, she sat down next to her dad and listened to Straus's instructions for how to give him a memory.

"Wait, this won't hurt my daughter at all will it?" Mr. Granger asked warningly.

"No it won't dad, I'll be fine. Don't worry okay? I've read all about this when I was researching about pensieves!" Her dad still looked confused at the mention of a pensieve, but watched his daughter use her wand to extract a wisp of silver smoke. Realizing this was the physical memory itself, he stared in awe as Hermione dropped it into a glass vial where it floated around.

"Thank you all very much for your time, and Hermione for your cooperation. This makes my job very easy," Straus said smiling. He got up and was about to open the front door when Hermione stopped him.

"Sir, they will free Sirius won't they? You can use my memory to prove he is innocent?"

"I am not the judge and I have no way of knowing if he will be freed. Your memory will certainly be helpful, but I don't want to get your hopes up."

"I understand," she said sadly, but then had a thought. "Could I come to the trial?"

The man frowned, unsure if that would be a good idea, especially if she so strongly believed in his innocence. "I would advise against it, but I can't stop you from coming if you really wanted to. As long as it is okay with your parents," the man from the ministry trailed off looking at Hermione's parents who had been listening.

Her mother spoke up quickly. "I know you want to, but you've already given them your memory and I don't want you near someone like Sirius Black. Mrs. Weasley was telling me about him, and I think I want you home for this, ok? I'm sorry dear."

Hermione nodded and said goodbye to the man, who was glad her mother told her not to go. He didn't need someone else making a scene if Black was sentenced to Azkaban. He then stepped out of her muggle home and apparated to where he was meeting Severus.

Nicholas Strauss appeared in a room with one door leading into a narrow hallway. Upon hearing two voices coming from the other end of the hallway though, he paused.

"I know you hate him-"

"That's an understatement. He humiliated through all my schooling years."

"Yes but he is innocent and you know that."

Straus heard a sigh. "Yes, I know Lupin. As much as I can't stand the man, I would hate to be the reason an innocent man goes to Azkaban. Thank you for reminding me of that."

Sensing a lap in the conversation and feeling guilty for eavesdropping, Straus knocked at the door that was slightly ajar at the end of the hallway. Silence followed before a smiling man who had to be Remus Lupin opened the door and ushered him in.

"Are you Remus Lupin?"

"Yes, and I think you need something from me?" Remus asked politely.

"Yes, a memory to be exact, and a similar one from you, Severus," Straus said. Severus looked distastefully at the man from the ministry who decided he now didn't like.

"I can give you mine and you can do your cute little spell to check that it is real, but you may have trouble getting the memory from my acquaintance here. He has a...'furry little problem, and -"

"As I am well aware, and I don't think it will create much of an issue at all."

Remus really liked this man from the ministry and happily submitted a memory to him, although he followed the man's instructions to leave the part out with him as a werewolf. It would've put Remus's mind under a lot of stress if he tried to get a memory that he had while he was a werewolf. After a little bit more convincing because of Severus's obvious mistrust of the man, Snape gave him his memory too.

"Thank-you gentlemen, that is all I need from you today," and with that, Mr. Straus apparated to the ministry armed with four full bottles of memories.

...

Sirius sat down on his bed again and waited another hour and a half before he was once again summoned to go to his trial. The two guards leading him to the court both had an uncomfortable grip on one of his arms, and they led him quickly to a grand room that was up a few floors. They chained him to a chair, still under the assumption that he was a 'cold-blooded murderer', and then waited for the rest of the court to arrive. As soon as the judge arrived, they went through a few mere formalities and began his trial.

As they read over his original list of accusations, Sirius looked around to see Remus sitting off to his right. When he had caught the man's eye, Remus gave him a comforting smile. Sirius just looked back at the judge.

The court had now reviewed what little evidence they had of his first accusations; killing 13 innocent people. They then showed a projection of every person's memory using a pensieve. Sirius watched the memory in a daze, surprised at the crazed look in his own eye. Murmurs of disbelief could also be heard every time Peter Pettigrew transformed into a human in each of the memories. Sirius then watched his best friend turn into a werewolf while he fought to protect his godson.

After the memories had been played out, all that could be heard in the court was silence. They then gave Sirius some veritaserum, asked him a few more direct questions and collected memories of the events in the shrieking shack and October 31 all those years ago.

They quickly wrapped up and the judge went over the notes before declaring the verdict. The whole process had taken just under two hours, but it had been a total blur for Sirius. It was hard enough to watch memories from his least two favorite nights of his life, but now he had to sit here and wait for the verdict, anticipating the worst.

All of a sudden he realized what a terrible idea this was. The wizarding world hated him! How could he be so naive to think that they would actually free him? Now he just walked right into their hands and would be sent to Azkaban all over again. He had blown his chance to be Harry's guardian! Now he knew for sure that Azkaban would be his final resting place. Thinking about the time he spent there made the man shudder.

He could almost feel the Dementors feeding on him, sucking away every good thought he had. So caught up in his fear, Sirius had barely heard the judge announce that he was ready with the verdict.

Sirius snapped his head up in attention. He kept a grim look on his face the whole time though as the judge spoke, "After reviewing all the evidence of October 31, 1981 and the events that transpired at the end of April in the Shrieking Shack, I have come to a conclusion in this trial of Sirius Black. I pronounce this man free of all charges."

Sirius could barely believe what he had heard. His spirits were immediately lifted and his jaw dropped. His mind was barely able to comprehend the following words spoken by the judge. He said something about a fine for not registering his animagus form and adding Peter Pettigrew to the Wanted Wizards list.

The chains around his wrists and ankles magically unlocked and slunk back into the chair. He truly felt like he had been relieved of a huge burden, and the metaphorical chains that have been holding him back for thirteen years has disappeared. Remus's smiling face appeared in front of him as soon as the judge had left the court. Now back in his right mind, Sirius hugged his best friend, a few tears threatening to roll down his face.

"Sirius, this is great! I knew they were going to free you! And did you see the look on their face when they saw the memories?" Remus continued to babble on like a giddy school girl and Sirius had to laugh at the man's antics.

"Remus, that's enough. Let's just go home and I will send a letter to Harry to tell him I've been freed." Remus nodded in agreement.

Then Sirius stopped, making Remus pause. "Wait a minute. Did Snivellus submit a memory too? I put his name on the list but I didn't think he would actually try to help me..."

"Sirius, you need to stop using that nickname, he is a Professor now. Let go of that 13 year old grudge."

"But did he submit a memory?" Sirius repeated.

Remus stared at the man slightly annoyed at his persistent, "Yes he did, but before you say anything," Sirius opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again. "I want to tell you that he did it willingly because he _wanted_ to help you. Sirius, he _wanted_ to help free you. He told me before he left that even though he may not like you Sirius, he would hate to see anyone go to Azkaban for something they don't deserve."

Sirius heard what Remus said and thought about what his childhood enemy had said. Remus saw his concentrated look and wrapped an arm around his shoulder to lead him forward.

"Don't worry about it Sirius. Let's just go home," Remus said. Sirius quickly forgot about what Snape had said and smiled at the thought of home.

They left together, although they got a few odd stares. Sirius couldn't care less, and he was beaming from ear to ear. He had been waiting for this moment of freedom, and now he couldn't help but smile at the thought of being Harry's guardian.

He always felt like he had failed James and Harry, and now he had a chance to redeem himself.

...

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** I REALLY didn't want to write some official-sounding scene in the court with Sirius's trial so I tried to just make it kind of general and not get into details… I hope you don't mind! Thanks again :-) Any reviews are greatly appreciated and thank you so much WriterShwin for the constructive criticism!


	4. Snail Mail

**Chapter Four: Snail Mail**

By: PenDiva

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do not any of this of course, it is simply inspired by the amazing characters and books by J.K. Rowling.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Chapter Four has arrived, with some struggle! I'm very sorry for the weird thing my computer did, and I was trying to fix it the rest of the day so if anybody knows some helpful tips when it comes to updating new chapters - let me know! I'm thoroughly enjoying writing this fanfiction so I hope you guys like reading it! This chapter took a bit longer to write because I was doing research (ha! Imagine that - voluntary research) and I wanted to get all my facts straight and I think I did ok enough! Also - I went back to edit the other three chapters because I'm a picky writer and I received a few great ideas to strengthen the story. So if your email went nuts about how I posted a bunch of chapters it is just because I was editing previous chapters so re-read those of you want! But now on to the show…

…

It was one of those days that was so blistering hot you could feel the humidity seeping underneath the door. Today was supposed to be the last day of a week full of unbearably hot days. No cooling spells were effective either on this hot June day.

Sirius was in the midst of eating breakfast. A fan was propped up on the other side of the room on full blast and directed at his face. This kept making the edge of the Daily Prophet flip, and as it did, a certain headline caught his eye. Curious, he opened the Daily Prophet up to the second page where he saw his own face looking back at him.

 **Murderer to Freedman? What's Really Going on Here?**

By: R. Almeidus

Sirius black, a convicted murderer just a few days ago, is currently walking the streets of London - a freedman! In a surprisingly short trial, the evidence was reviewed and Sirius Black was announced free of all charges. Instead, the blame for the crime of killing 13 innocent people falls onto one of the people the Ministry knew to be dead; Peter Pettigrew.

Black claims that Peter was an unregistered animagus and was able to transform into a rat and escape from the rage of Black that October night 13 years ago. He continued to survive as a rat with the Weasley family for the next 13 years, fearful of being found by You-Know-Who or Sirius Black. So when the Weasley's took a picture for the Daily Prophet with the rat clearly shown, Sirius Black wasn't fooled. He recognized his old childhood friend, and broke out of Azkaban with hopes of killing Pettigrew once and for all.

His escape from Azkaban remains a mystery to this day, but Black's innocence does not. A few months ago, Black was finally able to corner Pettigrew and confront him about betraying Lily and James Potter for the second time. Pettigrew managed to escape however, when Sirius was distracted and forced to protect three Hogwarts students from a werewolf attack at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. These events were all the same in the memories of four different witnesses, so the trial was concluded in less than two hours.

Some are still left to wonder however. Should a man who intends to kill Peter Pettigrew the next time they meet be allowed to freely roam the streets? And how did he escape from Azkaban? Why was he even friends with Pettigrew, who is now recognized as a murderer and a Death-Eater? These questions remain unanswered as Sirius Black is taken off the list of Wanted Wizards.

Sirius was slightly appalled at the accusations that were made. Would he ever be able to escape from the Wizarding World and live a normal life? He is an innocent man so he was freed, and now people should just accept it and be glad that an innocent man wasn't sentenced to Azkaban.

Trying to suppress his anger, Sirius got up from the kitchen table and went to the living room that Remus was fixing up. He waited until Remus finished his last painting spell before he called out to the man.

Remus was oblivious to Sirius's reasons for coming into the room however. "Hey, do you want to help me finish this room? I know it is hot but…" he then noticed the paper in Sirius's hand and the unhappy look on his face. "Oh. Did they write something about the trial?"

Sirius walked over and handed the paper to Remus. He read over it quickly and gave Sirius a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry you have to deal with this. They shouldn't be allowed to write that kind of stuff, it is only get make the public worry. Try not to let it get to you Sirius. You'll be in even more trouble then."

"I know, I know. It still frustrates me though that people still believe I'm some kind of heartless killer," he replied coldly.

"But you aren't, and you know that which is all that matter. Why don't you try to forget about it as you help me finish this room?"

"You might have to put that off until a little bit later Remus," said an old voice from behind Sirius.

Remus and Sirius turned to greet the Headmaster of Hogwarts. "Dumbledore thanks for coming!" Sirius said quickly. Remus raised a questioning eyebrow at Sirius. "Oh sorry Moony, I forgot to tell you. I asked Dumbledore to help with the guardianship papers for Harry."

Remus nodded. "Ok then, let's get this started, shall we?" The old man said with an amused twinkle in his eyes.

They all came into the kitchen and sat down at one end of the table. An impatient Sirius was the first to say something. "So when can I see Harry? Could we go get him today? The house is almost done!"

"Sadly, no you cannot."

Sirius, expecting this answer responded immediately with, "Why? Remus told me it was for his own protection that he stay with the Dursley's but I don't get it! Those muggles hate him. Harry would be in a much better home here!" Sirius looked helplessly at Remus.

"I'm sorry Sirius. I want him here a much as you do... but... well I'll let Dumbledore explain," he said looking at Sirius.

"It's rather complicated I'm afraid. You see, when Voldemort went to Godric's Hollow, 13 years ago, something unexpected happened. Voldemort thought he was an unbeatable, powerful wizard, but he was wrong."

"Harry overpowered him, right?"

Dumbledore chose his next words carefully. "I am certain that Harry is a very powerful wizard but it is a bit more complicated than Harry beating Voldemort with... normal magic... To put it simply. Harry didn't defeat Voldemort alone."

"What are you talking about?" Sirius asked nervously.

Remus said, "It's nothing to be alarmed about Sirius, just listen to what he has to say."

"Thank you. Remus. You see, when Lily Potter sacrificed herself to save Harry because of how much she loved him, she created a magical barrier between Voldemort and Harry. Despite how powerful he was, Voldemort couldn't touch Harry. So when he tried to kill Harry, the killing curse rebounded off of Harry to kill Voldemort."

"Wait a minute. How is he alive then? If he was hit with his own killing curse?"

Sadly Dumbledore continued. "Tom Riddle chose a path that to power but he got his power with dark magic. His ultimate goal was to become immortal, and he succeeded."

"So then why do we even try to fight him if he is immortal?" Sirius said getting frustrated.

"Well, Voldemort is as close to immortal as a human can get, because complete immortality is impossible. He can be defeated, but not with one simple killing curse."

Sirius's head was swimming with all this information, but one question was still thing at him. "So I... kind of understand all that Albus, but what does all that have to do with me being Harry's guardian?"

"Excuse me Mr. Black, I got a little side tracked. As I was saying; Harry didn't defeat Voldemort alone. His mother's love protected him and to this day, Voldemort still can't touch him, because of the wards I set up. Lily's protection wouldn't have lasted a few days, so I created wards that would extend Lily's sacrifice until Harry was 17. The one requirement however, is that Harry must live with someone who is a blood relative to Lily. The only person suitable for that is Lily's sister -"

"Harry's Aunt Petunia," Sirius finished, finally beginning to make sense of al the information he had just received.

Dumbledore smiled as he said, "Harry still considers the Dursley's home because he stays there for one month every year and the rest of the time is at school or someplace else."

"But why is that important?" Sirius asked.

"Harry calls it home only because he lives there, which is what matters for the wards. Lily's sister Petunia can provide Harry the same protection that Lily did because Lily's blood runs in her veins! Lily was able to sacrifice herself because she knew that Petunia would give him a home. It is the blood bond between Harry and Petunia, plus the fact that Petunia gave Harry a home, where he could return to once per year, that sealed Lily's protective enchantments and made them strong. If Harry does not return to the Dursley's, Lily's sacrifice would be in vain," Dumbledore finished.

"But How could Harry call that muggle place a home. They treat him like dirt!"

"I admit that they don't treat him well, but that doesn't change the fact that the bond created by the Dursley's saved Harry's life in the first year!"

Remus looked stunned. "Albus, what are you talking about?"

The old man sighed hoping he wouldn't have to go into the gory details of Harry's first year at Hogwarts. "Voldemort got to Harry, and the only reason Harry survived is because Voldemort's skin burned when he touched Harry and his blood. Harry's blood is full of love, something that is like poison to somebody as cruel as Voldemort. Do you understand Sirius?" he looked at Sirius tiredly, with sad eyes.

"Yes," was all Sirius managed.

Remus looked shocked to find out that Voldemort had found Harry when he was just a first year. "Thank you for explaining that Albus. I didn't realize how important it was."

"Yes, and you would be wise not to take him out of there until the end of June. But I do have what you asked for Sirius," and the old Headmaster of Hogwarts went through guardianship papers with the two men in front of him. It took a while to fill out the paperwork, especially with Remus being a werewolf, but they got through the worst of it.

Dumbledore collected the papers and said, "That is most of the papers, but I might come back for a few other things. Now gentlemen, I must take my leave. I fear that I have overstayed my visit, and I shall let you get back to finishing the house."

Remus watched the old man get up to leave. Dumbledore was halfway through the floo when he suddenly said, "Harry is very lucky to have you two to take care of him." Then with a whoosh, he was gone.

…

Harry begrudgingly pushed a wheelbarrow full of weeds thought the front lawn underneath the powerful rays of the sun. They beat down on him and made him sweaty and exhausted. His lack of a diet lately hadn't helped either. Petunia let him have breakfast each day but then that was it until he finished his chores.

Glancing at the house, Harry quickly noted that none of The Dursley's were watching him. He quickly wheeled the wheelbarrow over to the mailbox and tried to look nonchalant and not make a big deal about what he was about to do. When he got close to the mailbox, he pulled out a white envelope addressed to Hermione's muggle address. Dropping it into the mailbox, he quickly continued his route down the lawn.

This was his only way around not being able to send owls. A week ago, Harry found that his room was unlocked, so in the middle of the night he snuck downstairs to get a few envelopes, stamps, and blank sheets of paper. The mailman who worked on Saturday always came early too, so he knew that Vernon would never see the letter in the box.

Smiling at his own genius, Harry wrapped up his task with the weeds. He continued his outdoor chores but stole glances at the road to see if a truck came ready to take the mail.

Much to Harry's delight, it did. The mailman came slowly down the row of houses and finally reached number 4. Harry held his breath as he casually took Harry's letters from their mailbox and replace it with other mail.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. It had worked. He had written a letter to Hermione and at the end he asked her to owl a few other letters to Sirius and Ron. In each letter, he asked them not to send him any owls or letters with the muggle snail mail because Vernon wouldn't be very forgiving about it. Maybe he could write Hermione with some more letters to send next week.

He only had two more weeks before he could go home with Sirius and Remus, and Harry was counting the days until then.

He was in a good mood the rest of the day. He knew his friends would be glad he wrote them and Vernon noticed. So as he finished the last of his chores upstairs and went downstairs to cook dinner, Vernon pulled him aside.

"Why so happy, Boy? Wipe that silly grin off your face and get dinner done. I don't care if you did all your chores twice, you're not getting any food for the rest of the night."

Harry walked into the kitchen, with a seething anger growing inside him. What right does Vernon have to starve him like this? Why should he be punished for being happy? Harry tried to get himself calm, and focus his energy on making dinner.

This seemed to help, because in 30 minutes a pot roast dinner was steaming and on the table. The smell made Harry want to drool, but he set three plates and went upstairs to wait while everyone else ate. He sat down on his bed and pulled out Sirius's letter to read over it for the hundredth time since Hedwig had come back.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _You do not need to apologize to me! At the time, you were reacting based on what you knew which is that I was a cold-blooded murderer, but now you know that I am not. You put up a pretty good fight too! If anyone needs to apologize, it's me. I know you said that there was nothing I could do about getting wrongly accused and that I didn't fail you, but that doesn't change how guilty I feel. I should've stayed with you that night and not rushed off to get Peter, and I regret that night more than anything. I want to make up for lost time, so I'm moving in with Remus so that we can be your official guardians._

 _You remind me a lot of your mother and father. You are so understanding, loving, and forgiving. I was so heartbroken when they had died, but you were the only thing that kept me going in Azkaban. I've missed you so much in the past month, and it is going to be hard to wait another month to see you! I worry about you so much, and Remus has actually begun to make fun of me for it, but I think a good prank or two will justify that…_

 _Before I'm done though, I want you to know how much I care about you, and how badly I want to take you away from those Dursley's. They treat you terribly and I want you to know that you have a home to come back to with Remus and I. And if that fat uncle of yours gives you a hard time, mention that you have a coldblooded murderer as a Godfather who might want to swing by if he hears about you being mistreated._

 _Keep your friends close Harry._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Snuffles_

Harry had tried to mention that his protective Godfather might come to see how he was doing to Vernon but his uncle had called him off for lying and Harry had a bruise to show for it. Sighing as he thought about his injuries, Harry got up from his bed to put Sirius's letter back underneath the loose floorboard, his best hiding spot from his uncle.

As he got up, Hedwig hooted at him, and Harry felt guilty about not letting her out of her cage. He had to though, because Vernon would 'beat him within an inch of his life' if he let Hedwig out, or at least that was his usual threat. Harry had been able to steal some food for Hedwig, and even though she likes rats and mice better, she understands that Harry can't let her out.

Harry heard a clang downstairs and he stopped moving to listen to what his uncle was saying.

It was muffled so couldn't understand the whole conversation. "-better have a better dinner when he prepares it for my boss-" Another dish clanged into the sink and Harry missed the end of the sentence.

"I will talk to him, let me handle this."

"Fine, now where is he?"

Those were the words he was waiting for, and Harry bolted out of his room before he could get punished for being slow. He walked straight into the kitchen as Vernon yelled, "BOY!" Harry stepped around his towering uncle, picked up all of their plates and started doing dishes.

"Alright now you listen here-" but Vernon was stopped by his wife who had her hands on her hips. Huffing, he left the room. Harry was surprised. Usually Vernon just bosses Petunia around, but they must have had an argument at dinner.

Aunt Petunia sighed. "I couldn't let him go overboard with punishment, because we might need you to serve us for his dinner party, and I can't have you looking you like you just got in a train wreck now can I? Although, you don't even need Vernon to help you with that!"

Harry just listened to her as he cleaned up after their dinner.

"You better make a better meal next week, because Vernon was NOT happy with this crap you put out for us to eat. Understand?"

"Yes," Harry replied, trying not to get too frustrated.

"Alright then, hurry up and don't think about eating any of it. I don't want to waste any of my money trying to feed a worthless piece of scum like yourself."

The words hit Harry hard, especially coming from his Aunt. He thought that she would try to be on his side and help him out for once, but it doesn't seem like that is possible.

With eyes stinging, Harry started the dishwasher and left the kitchen wordlessly. Vernon was watching something in the living room with Dudley, so Harry went quietly upstairs to sit in his bedroom.

He opened his hand and pulled out half a roll. He let out a big breath that he had been holding. He was able to snatch it for Hedwig when Petunia's back was turned.

He ripped a morsel off for himself and plopped the rest into Hedwig's cage who seemed content with the meager portion.

"Sorry girl, but you know it's the best I can do," Harry stated sadly. Hedwig looked at her master, tilting her head. Harry gave her a weak smile and then sat down on his bed.

He sat there for the next few hours and waited to get tired. Finally, he was able to drift off to sleep, but he would soon regret that and wish he had stayed awake the whole night.

…

His nightmare began in the dead of night.

 _Harry was standing in a nursery. Something tugged at his memory but he couldn't put the pieces together to figure out why this place looked familiar._

 _Harry took a slow step forward treading over broken pieces of furniture. He saw the curved edge of what he guessed was a rocking chair._

 _Harry had a bad feeling about this place. As he looked around the room he saw a crib and was surprised at how intact it was. Something was crying, and Harry assumed it was a baby in the crib but he couldn't see in the crib yet._

 _Then it hit him. He recognized this room because he had been in here before October 31, 13 years ago. This is where Voldemort killed his parents. This is where he has gotten his lightning scar._

 _Harry suddenly feel sick. His mother had died in this room. He heard the baby crying again but it wasn't actually crying. It was taking in these very ragged breaths and wailing, making these awful high pitched sounds._

 _Harry walked over and nearly puked at what he saw in the crib._

 _There was a human in there, but it was deformed and grotesque. It continued wailing and every time it did, Harry's scar twinged._

 _Unable to bear looking at it any longer, Harry turned around and looked at someone standing in the doorway._

 _It was his mother._

 _Her eyes were green like Harry's but they were dead and cold. She spoke in a raspy voice, saying "You killed us," Harry shook his head._

 _"It's your fault he came that night and killed us!"_

 _"No! I didn't mean for you to die! I'm sorry-" Harry replied, tears now streaming down his face._

 _Then her mother's eyes changed from green to black and in a quick second, Harry was standing in front of a dementor._ _He screamed as his mother transformed, stepping back and reaching for his wand but couldn't find it._

 _The room turned ice cold as the Dementor advanced on Harry. Harry scrambled backwards and tripped on a piece of wood, crashing to the floor._

 _All the thoughts and feeling of hope or joy Harry ever had were suddenly gone from his mind, and all Harry could think about was how lonely and sad he felt. The dementor continued attacking Harry, and Harry tried to push him out._

" _Expecto Patronum!" He screamed, although it was hopeless without a wand. He concentrated on not letting the dementor get any closer, and he noticed the hooded figure's hesitation. He was able to keep the dementor from coming any closer because his subconscious knew there was a very real threat waiting for him in his bedroom, but then his temporary shield failed, and Harry was filled with despair._

 _He curled into a ball defensively. Suddenly he heard a voice from behind the dementor. It was screaming at him in a way only one person could._

" _BOY!" was all that Harry heard when he awoke from his terrifying nightmare._

…

A few minutes earlier, Vernon had awoken slowly, but as soon as he did he realized it was because of someone screaming next door. Annoyed and slightly drunk, Vernon stood up from his bed and told his wife to stay there.

He grabbed the keys off of his bedside table and marched down the hall to the freak's room. He was screaming and making a huge fuss, probably enough to wake the neighbors.

Vernon unlocked the door and stepped inside. Harry was thrashing around on his bed, crying, and screaming at someone.

Vernon tried to walk over to his bed to get him to knock it off, but he was pushed back against the door by an unseen force.

Vernon pushed back, but he couldn't move forward an inch. A slight mist surrounded Harry's bed in a wide bubble, protecting Harry in his nightmare. Vernon gasped. This is magic! The little freak was using magic on him!

"BOY!" Vernons screamed at the top of his lungs. Suddenly Harry stopped screaming and his eyes flew open. The invisible shield was dropped, and Harry's eyes settled on Vernon instantly.

Harry gasped and almost fell off of his bed. He recovered and scrambled towards the wall as Vernon marched over and grabbed Harry by his collar. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING USING MAGIC ON ME?!" Harry's eyes were wide, to frightened to speak. 'What is he talking about?' Harry thought.

"Oh yeah, that was a cute little trick you played there you little freak! Creating a protective bubble around your sorry arse, not letting me in the room while you screamed your head off and woke up the whole street!"

Harry shook his head and tried to make sense of everything. He assumed it was some kind of accidental magic that he did while he was having a nightmare.

Vernon threw Harry to the ground and kicked viciously at his ribs. He heard a resounding crack and a pitiful whimper from his nephew. Vernon continued kicking bruising all parts of Harry while the 13 year old boy tucked his knees into his chest trying to minimize the bruises on his stomach.

His chest was screaming in agony and breathing became more painful. Without warning, Vernon landed a painful blow on Harry's left ankle and stepped on it again. Harry's ankle flared with pain and he knew Vernon just cracked something else.

"You deserve this for that little stunt! Don't you EVER try something like that again!"

Vernon was getting relentless. This was one of his worst beatings yet. Vernon grabbed Harry who could barely stand and threw him against the wall, smacking his head hard.

Harry's vision was getting black around the edges and his head was swimming. He could smell the alcohol in his uncle's breath and he wanted to be sick. Finally satisfied, Vernon let go of Harry who crumbled to the floor, breathing hard.

"And remember our little deal you creep. If you try to tell ANYONE about these punishments that you deserve, I will make you regret ever being born! I WILL BEAT YOU WITHIN AN INCH OF YOUR LIFE!" Harry wasn't surprised at that last comment, but he still feared the consequences if he tried to reach out to someone for help.

Vernon kicked Harry one more time and then left his room. Harry rolled onto his back to try to ease the pain in his chest and welcomed the blackness that crept into his vision.

...

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Thanks to everyone who is following this story! I have been very busy packing because I am leaving for Italy in two days and if you ever take a trip to Europe, there is a lot to pack! But it will be so much fun :-) Anyway, I won't be able to update with any new chapters for nine days, but during the trip I will write the next few chapters and I will post more when I get back. Thanks and please review!


	5. Painkillers

**Chapter Five: Painkillers**

By: PenDiva

 **DISCLAIMER:** I'm still waiting for the papers telling me that I own Harry Potter from my pal J.K. Rowling but I still own nothing :-(

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** For some reason I had some trouble writing the opening scene with Sirius and Remus for this chapter so it is kind of random… but hopefully it makes sense and sets up the events of Harry's fourth year! Italy was awesome (it was also the reason why I didn't update for ten days) so if any of you get a chance to go to Italy make sure you take the opportunity and bring lots of money for gelato! Ok I have to stop talking about my trip because I could go on all day so here is chapter five:

...

"What if I bribed a muggle mail officer to deliver him the letter and make sure he gets it directly... Is that allowed in the muggle world?"

"I don't think we should try to do any kind of bribery, Sirius," Remus said.

"What if I get an owl to deliver it in the night by sneaking in through the chimney? If Harry's uncle doesn't see it, it won't matter!"

Remus sighed. "And what would Harry think about you trying so hard to send him a letter after he told you not to?"

Sirius looked defeated. "I guess you're right, Moony. I just hate not knowing how he is doing."

They had been talking about Harry for the last hour and Sirius had come up with more than a few wild theories of how to get in touch with Harry.

"Sirius, this isn't about you. Harry said Vernon would punish him if he tried to contact the Wizarding World. I can't imagine why, but we can't risk Harry getting punished. Harry mentioned last year he is deprived meals when he does something wrong, and he is already so skinny I don't want to risk it."

Sirius nodded, having heard this information before. He grumbled, "I know, I would hate for Harry to miss meals but I still want to go see him more then anything, or at least send him a letter. I thought it would be ok if Vernon never found out, sorry."

Remus thought about how much Sirius was worrying about Harry. Sirius barely went a day without talking about Harry and asking Remus to tell him everything he knew. Sirius had talked to him a little that night in the Shrieking Shack, but he still realy wanted to get to know his Godson. Harry reminded them both of their best friend James, which made them want to get Harry back even more. In the past few weeks, Remus had relayed almost every encounter he had with the teenager, and Sirius ate it up, eager to hear about Harry.

Remus didn't mind talking about Harry, and had begun to make fun of Sirius for acting like a worried mother. He was lost in these thoughts for a minute but was interrupted by a knock at the door.

Sirius glanced at Remus expectantly. Remus got up from the couch where they had been sitting, stretching his legs.

"Okay, I'll get it. I think it's the people from the ministry to check on the wards." Remus moved through the house quickly and went to open the door.

When he did he saw a gentle looking woman in front of him wearing a black dress and high heeled shoes. Her blond hair was pulled back making her look uptight and official but she gave Remus a warm smile. The man behind her though had a very different greeting.

He had scars going across his face and big trench coat that was fraying and old. He was holding a large staff but the most noticeable part of his appearance was an eye patch with an eyeball swiveling around taking in everything. Remus recognized the man as a very skilled auror, and someone he fought beside in the first World War.

"Long time, Lupin," Mad eye Moody said formally.

"Nice seeing you too, although I wasn't expecting an auror to come on a visit for a few wards…?" Remus said, voicing what was on his mind.

"Don't worry, we will explain inside. I believe you are living with Sirius Black? We will need to speak with him too," she said with a glance at Moody. He grunted slightly and Remus let them inside.

"He is in here, but you really must explain why he is needed to check on a few wards. I was under the impression this visit would be brief," Remus said to the woman who had just introduced herself as Jean Dunwich.

"Well you must understand why the Ministry wants to be extra careful with this guardianship request with all the death eaters after young Harry…" she said.

Remus stopped in front of the doorway of their living room and said to his friend, "Sirius, we will need your help with the wards." Sirius got up from an armchair and shot a questioning look at Remus. He grabbed his wand off of a table and was halfway across the room when moody stepped into the doorframe.

" _Stupefy!_ " The auror said instantly. Sirius had his wand in his hand so he was able to hastily cast a shield charm and duck out of the way of the curse which hit the wall and made a hole in the plaster.

Remus had his wand out and was pointing it at Moody but the auror had already put up a defensive barrier between himself and the werewolf. He knew Remus would interfere but he needed to disarm Black first.

Sirius's mind was reeling trying to figure out what was going on. He was lucky that he had fast reflexes but he reckoned he wouldn't last long against Moody.

He fired a disarming spell at Moody who stepped aside and cast another jinx at Sirius. Sirius put up a shield defensivey.

Sirius quickly levitated a wooden chair and flung it at Moody to distract him but he smashed it to pieces with a flick of his wand. Remus was appalled at what was happening to his living room but couldn't do anything because of the powerful shield spell in front of him.

Moody sent a few blasting curses but Sirius casted Protego or dodged making them rebound and destroy the room. Remus was surprised at the auror's ruthless, terrorizing attacks.

" _Expelliarmus!_ " Moody casted but again Sirius blocked it. He was growing tired of this spontaneous duel. Without hesitating Moody said, " _Everte Statum! Flippendo Duo!_ " Sirius blocked the first spell but was hit by the second and was thrown forcefully into the armchair behind him, slamming his head against the bookshelf wall behind it.

Sirius's head was spinning from the powerful charm, and Moody continued his barrage of spells. He disarmed Sirius and then cast a body-locking charm everywhere except for his face. He was now unable to move from the neck down.

Sirius had wide eyes but he grew angry when he noticed the restraining spell on his whole body.

"What the hell was that all about?" Sirius spat, ignoring his own headache.

Moody didn't say anything. " _Specialis Revelio,_ " he said while pointing his wand at Sirius's left arm which was laid out on the armchair. Nothing happened, to the slight surprise of the esteemed auror. He narrowed his eyes.

"This is for your precious godson you idiot," Moody replied Sirius was befuddled.

Moody reached in his jacket and fiddled with a vial while he explained what he had done. "While your trial proved you aren't a murderer, it didn't prove your status as a death eater, and I'm sure a few concealing charms could've hid that fact. So excuse me if I'm not a trusting man, especially when it comes to the Justice Department at the Ministry. I needed to check for myself."

The woman, who didn't have to adhere to the shield charm, stepped into the room and looked at Black. "I'm sorry he had to do it this way. I tried to tell him there were other methods to confirm that you weren't a death eater but he was determined -"

"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" He yelled suddenly, causing Remus to jump. He whipped a finger at Sirius saying, "Something you have, something a death eater would have!"

Sirius recalled his fast reflexes and wanted to smack his head against a wall. Moody kept talking. "Don't you think I noticed how quickly you were able to shield yourself against my first disarming spell? There was no hesitation when you held out your wand and fought back, something I have been trained to notice in death eaters."

Remus knew Moody was border line insane after fighting so many death eaters and he was trained to expect the worst in people.

Sirius tried to defend himself. "12 years in Azkaban will do that to you! I also grew up in a family that taught me what the cruciatus curse felt like pretty early on so yes, I have fast reflexes when I'm trying to defend myself! That doesn't prove I'm a death eater Mad Eye," he said trying to knock some sense into someone he fought with in the first World War. It was amazing how fast people had turned on him.

Then Sirius noticed the slightly crazed look in the man's eyes. 'Why does he think that fast reflexes proves someone is a death eater?' Sirius thought

"There is only one thing that can prove your loyalty to the Dark Lord Black, but that doesn't change the reason for my suspicion. Now, my colleague would prefer for the rest of this interrogation to continue without anymore drama, so if you don't mind just cooperating for the next few minutes." At this, Moody released Remus from the shield who walked over to Sirius. He definitely looked more normal now, so Remus tried to reason with him.

"Alastor, I don't think barging into a room and engaging Sirius in a duel was the best way to get him to cooperate."

"I didn't ask for your opinion, werewolf," he replied, "but I would appreciate it if you got him to cooperate. I need him to take this vial of Veritaserum and if he passes my questions, he's free to be Harry's guardian and he can help Ms. Dunwich over here with whatever she needs."

Remus sighed. "Sirius, it's just Veritaserum, and the truth won't hurt because you're not a death eater." Sirius did not look happy but finally agreed. Moody released his arm and gave him the vial.

"This works best if taken willingly," he explained and Sirius downed its contents. He shuddered as it entered his system, and his eyes zoned out.

"What is your name?" Moody asked to start.

Sirius coughed, still digesting the potion before answering frankly, "Sirius Black"

"Are you a follower of Voldemort, and do you consider yourself a Death Eater?"

"No." Moody stopped for a second. He didn't know what to expect, but he was slightly glad to hear he didn't have to send a prior member of The Order to Azkaban. He continued the questions though, still unsatisfied.

"Are you still loyal to Albus Dumbledore?"

"Yes."

"Have you ever cast the Killing curse?"

"No."

"Have you ever attended one of Voldemort's meetings?"

"No."

Remus was looking at Moody, surprised at some of the questions he was asking Sirius. Moody went into some detail about Dark Magic, asking if Sirius had done any but he said no to each one until Moody asked him if he had the Dark Mark.

"No, because I ran away before they could plan an initiation ceremony."

Moody raised his eyebrows. "What initiation ceremony, Black?" He said, feeling suspicious.

"My mother wanted me to become a death eater, but I refused. I ran away from the house and she denounced me. I was supposed to get the mark but I didn't," he explained simply.

Moody then cast a different revealing curse on his arm and Sirius winced.

"And no, I didn't cast Dark Magic to conceal the Dark Mark either," he said bitterly, this time a bit more awake from the Veritaserum.

"Alright, I think I'm finally satisfied that you're not a death eater." He released him from the body restraining spell but continued asking him questions relating to being a guardian of Harry Potter. When he was finished, he handed Sirius his wand.

Remus was relieved that nothing else had happened and that Moody finally came to his senses and saw that Black wasn't a death eater.

"This was necessary to do Black, even if it was uncharacteristic of the process at the Ministry. Harry's could've been in grave danger if we had let a death eater get into the wards set up here or even witness how we set them up. The entire Wizarding World would be jeopardized because almost every house uses the same wards. I've done this same interrogation before though, so don't feel like you're anything special."

"Oh thanks, because I really need an ego boost," Sirius replied sourly.

Jean said apologetically, "Please excuse his rather… unique methods of questioning but he strongly believed in catching you off guard and pressing you with tons of questions."

"Sure, make me the bad guy. Well as much as I'd love to stay and chat," he said with a hint of sarcasm, "I have other things to do. Do carry on with Ms. Dunwich though."

After that, he left the room and went outside the boundaries of the house to apparate back to the ministry. The woman sighed in relief.

"I really am sorry Mr. Black. I've done this multiple times and you turned out to be one of the few people whom we wrongly accused of being a death eater. Surely you can understand our reasons though,"

Remus smiled slightly and spoke up before Sirius could. "Let's just get the rest of this visit over with if you don't mind." Sirius agreed and they all walked outside and the woman checked over all of their protective charms. They did the standard spells like _Repello Inimicum, Protego Horribilis,_ and _Muggle-repelling charms_. She then set up wards that wouldn't let Remus enter during the full moon and it would burn his skin if he was inside the property as a werewolf. He wasn't too happy about the second charm that but knew it was for Harry's protection.

When they were done, Remus asked what they had left to do in the guardianship process.

"All you need now are signatures from Harry's current guardians."

Remus nodded. "We will get those in a week when we get Harry from his relatives."

Jean smiled and thanked them for their time before Apparating away. Remus and Sirius went back inside and Sirius sat down on the couch hard. He had been holding out while they did all the charms but now he couldn't ignore his headache anymore.

Sirius leaned back on the couch, holding his head and closed his eyes.

"I can't believe they let Moody come with her," Sirius said. "Of all people, send the person who hates death eaters more than anything.

"I'm really sorry he did that to you Sirius, especially knowing that he is a bit loony. At least now you have a high rankin auror who trusts that you aren't a death eater. Are you all right? Moody is very powerful and getting hit with one of his spells…" Remus trailed off as he sat down next to Sirius.

Sirius reluctantly mumbled, "No. I have been able to ignore this headache up until now, but it's getting more painful." Sirius was still on the effects of the Veritaserum and was forced to tell Remus how he was honestly feeling. Sirius was surprised at the words that came out of his mouth due to the potion in his body.

"Wow, padfoot, we should really give you that potion more often," Remus said, knowing how long it usually took Sirius to admit he was in pain. He watched as Sirius barely reacted to that before leaving to grab a potion for Sirius. He discreetly mixed in a sleeping draught, knowing Sirius would never agree to taking a nap, no matter how tired he was.

Sirius heard his friend leave and come back, and then ask him to drink something for his head. He opened his eyes and tipped the vial back, pouring the potion down his throat. He noticed a heavy feeling in his eyelids and all of his muscles relaxed.

As Sirius drifted off to sleep, Remus gently nudged him so that he was laying down on the couch. Sirius mumbled something unintelligent but was smiling so Remus took it as a good sign.

He was finally asleep, and Remus looked around. Thinking back on the battle, he was still a little surprised at that had happened. 'Moody shouldn't have been allowed to do that,' he thought, but he understood his reasons.

"Reparo," he began saying, fixing the many broken things in the room. It looked like a battle field but after a few minutes Remus got it nearly back to normal. This would be Harry's home. He would be coming to stay with them in less than two weeks, and now all they had left to do to be his official guardians is get the Dursley's to sign some papers.

Smiling at the thought of Harry, Remus sat in an armchair and pulled out a book to read.

…

Eleven Days. That's how many more days Harry had to survive before Remus and Sirius could come to get him. He just needed to make a good dinner tonight and hopefully he could escape any bad punishments from Vernon. In past summers, Vernon had chose to deprive Harry of food and verbally abuse him but making Aunt Marge blow up was the last straw.

He had been getting drunk more often and often lashed out at Harry and beat him for punishment. Harry's was pretty sure Vernon had broken a rib last week and fractured his ankle, but he had been able to survive. After that, he had hit him and kicked him at every little slip up. They didn't last long, and Harry was able to keep up with his chores. Aunt Petunia pitied him though by not giving him too many.

Harry had also gone over to Mrs. Figg's house last week, who knew that Harry wasn't treated well. She gave him enough painkillers to last the next few weeks, and Harry hadn't gone a day without using them. He limped when he walked and taking deep breaths was painful, but he was alive.

Today hadn't started well. Petunia woke him up before 7:00 and told him to get downstairs and start getting ready for Vernon's important dinner tonight. She made it very clear that the house had to look spotless and he had to make a perfect gourmet meal for tonight.

Harry set to work cleaning the entire first floor. Every inch of it was dusted vacuumed and organized. Harry's arm was aching and sore from all the work and his back had a lot of cramps from leaning over and bending down. His ankle didn't help the process either and forced him to crawl around like a dog to clean. His aunt helped with some of the cleaning as well but tended to make Harry do everything.

By 3:00, Harry thought Petunia would be satisfied with how the first floor looked and went into the kitchen to start on dinner. He was already exhausted from working but he forced himself to keep going.

When he walked into the kitchen he saw a few pieces of paper with a recipe on them. The minute Aunt Petunia saw him, she scowled.

"This is what you'll be making, Boy! I want it to be perfect, and Vernon will NOT be happy if it isn't!" Harry cringed at the thought of an unhappy Vernon. "Make sure you don't burn anything, or I won't let you eat any breakfast for a week!" Harry thought that was a little unforgiving but promised himself he would be extra careful with this particular meal.

Petunia kept mumbling to herself about how important this dinner was and how much she wanted Vernon to get this promotion. Harry tried to focus on cooking.

He wasn't entirely sure what he was making. The first course for this dinner was a Spaghetti Carbonara, some pasta that Harry had never heard of. It's possible he had eaten something like it at Hogwarts but he never knew the names of the food he was eating at Hogwarts.

The second course was a chicken dish with a complicated sauce on top and crispy Rosemary potatoes on the side. His growling stomach didn't help as he cooked the meal.

Harry worked diligently and had done the brunt of the work on the first two course when he looked at the desert. He was making a layered chocolate cake. He glance at the clock nervously, and saw that it was 4:45, over two hours before they would start their meal. He would be cutting it close with the desert.

'Shoot! I should've looked at the whole meal before I started!' He had been too focused on making everything else perfect he forgot about a desert.

He stirred the ingredients together with a ferocious speed, using a reserve energy he didn't know he had. His thoughts were clouded by fears of the punishments he would get if he messed this dinner up making Harry work faster.

Finally he put the cake in the oven and sighed. For the next thirty minutes he rushed to finish the second and third course for the meal and make them ready to serve after being heated up.

Ding! Harry saw that the cakes were ready and moved on to phase two. He let the three layers cool while he made the icing and then he began to layer the cake and lather it in icing. The clock read 6:00 by the time he was done icing the whole thing over.

Harry then he added some decorations with a different color icing like the instructions said. He thought it looked pretty impressive, but he tried not to get his hopes up that Vernon would actually approve of the meal. At 6:15 he put the cake in the fridge to cool down. It was supposed to cool for one hour but how much of a difference could 15 minutes make?

Petunia had been sitting at the kitchen table during most of this cooking process, working. When she saw Harry about to leave the kitchen she said, "Finally finished? Took you long enough. Now is this food cold? How am I supposed to serve them this in an hour!?"

Harry sighed. "You have to warm it up before you serve it. Just stick it in the microwave."

"Oh thanks, make me do all the work," she started but stopped when she saw the two courses. They did look rather exquisite and though she would never admit it, the freak had done a really good job. "This might just satisfy Vernon..." But Harry had already left the room.

Harry climbed the stairs silently, beginning to feel the hard work of today weighing on his body. When he got to his room he curled up under a thin blanket and listened. The house was silent for the next twenty minutes until Vernon came home.

Loudly he said, "Alright where is the little freak?"

Harry was about to spring out of his bed when he heard Petunia. "Vernon dear, we don't have time for this. If the meal is terrible you can punish him later but as of right now you need to get you ready for tonight. I'm going to go help Dudders comb his hair and you should do the same."

The rest of the family quickly forgot about Harry as they scurried in and out of the bathroom. Then they went downstairs to get ready to greet Vernon's guests and Harry stopped listening.

He doubted Vernon would be satisfied with the meal he made, no matter how nice it is and he wanted nothing more than to hop on his broom and fly away. Eleven days, he repeated in his mind.

He sat in his room for the rest of the night and listened to the dinner party downstairs. It seemed to be growing extremely well and Harry thought he liked the man that came. When he laughed it sounded good natured and healthy, something Harry liked to listen to. He also commented on the excellent food and Harry mentally thanked him.

Harry heard them leave the kitchen and move to the living room, hopefully to discuss Vernon's promotion. Half an hour later Harry heard many happy goodbyes and the front door swinging closed. The first thing he noticed was that he wasn't being called down and yelled at for the terrible meal. He reasoned that Vernon had forgotten and sat in his room for another hour before his name was called.

Fearing the worst, he walked downstairs and into the kitchen. A drunk man called out to him from the living room, "Do... the dishes, or I'll beat you to a pulp!" This made Petunia erupt into a drunk giggle and Dudley stare at his drunk parents.

Harry suppressed his own laughter at his hopelessly drunk relatives and began to clean up after the dinner party.

"Did you see... dumb face after I told my best joke? You know... about the three cowboys,"

"No, it was about three men in a bar," Petunia corrected her words as slurred as her husband.

They continued to talk about the night's events and Harry gathered that he had gotten the promotion. He got a plate from the cupboard and piled a decent serving of each course onto his plate. He warned it up and saw the none of the Dursleys were even remotely looking at him.

He was about to start sneaking some more food when he heard a snarl.

"Boy," Vernon said. Harry looked at his uncle with his heart in his throat but saw his sly smile. "Not even YOUR FREAKISHNESS could mess this up!" He yelled.

Harry exhaled in relief but didn't try to steal any more food now that the attention was on him. Petunia saw him remove the plate with food on it from the microwave but didn't even say anything.

Harry practically skipped to his bedroom. This was the greatest thing that had happened this summer! He had convinced himself that tonight would go horribly and he would get a very firm beating but that never happened. Instead he sat in his room and ate a meal that he had cooked!

Harry tried not to wolf his food down. When he was done, his stomach churned but Harry managed to keep his food down. He even gave some to Hedwig.

"Who knows Hedwig? Maybe they will let me leave to go live with Sirius and Remus early!" He actually doubted this but had fun dreaming about such things. As much as they hated him and his magic, Petunia like having Harry around for meals and chores. He was their own personal slave who they didn't give very much in return. With the first floor looking like it did though, Harry thought about the next ten days happily.

He went to bed on a full stomach, not even noticing that his room was unlocked because he was too happy about getting food.

The next morning started slow, and Harry went downstairs quietly. He wanted to keep Vernon in this good mood as long as possible, so he cooked waffles, sausage, and bacon for breakfast. He ate some of it and went to go turn on the television when he heard someone coming into the kitchen.

He froze. Petunia stared at him. She was still a little lopsided from the night before but she was sober enough to see that Harry had made breakfast. She sat down hard and began to eat her share, ignoring Harry completely.

Harry watches his aunt in disbelief. She hadn't yelled at him for eating too much breakfast, scolded him about last night, and she didn't start barking out chores.

Harry could've done a jig. Instead he composed how happy he was feeling and went upstairs. Vernon was in the bathroom making noises so Harry slipped last and went into his bedroom.

He listened intently to Vernon walking downstairs and taking to his wife about the dinner party. He hadn't heard his name once.

Still smiling like a dork, Harry bravely went downstairs. He cleaned up breakfast and then was finally addressed.

"You meal was satisfying enough, Boy. I still want you to do some chores though," Petunia stated tiredly. Vernon watched as his wife write out a small list of chores but didn't stop her.

Harry nodded and walked out of the kitchen. He did have chores to do which he should've guessed, but hopefully they would let him have a few more meals now that he had done something right.

When lunch came around, Harry noticed Petunia purposefully set out only three plates and then glared at Harry. He took this as a sign that he wouldn't be eating this meal.

It didn't surprise him but he was still bummed. At dinner though, Harry served the Dursleys and dished out a meager plate for himself. Vernon stared him down with his beady eyes but didn't tell him off. Harry thanked his own luck and ate his meal quickly.

Vernon watched the freak eat but he didn't even feel like beating him for it. The boy won't even matter in a week so he didn't want to waste his time. He would rather think about this grand promotion he just received.

Smiling to himself, Vernon finished his meal and went to bed. Only nine more days to put up with the little freak, and then he would be gone for another year.

...

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Wow this whole chapter took me so long to figure out but I hope you like it. I tried to give Harry some good luck because I felt bad for him. Sorry if it was a dry scene with the dinner party. Try to be patient if you want Harry to get on with his summer with Sirius and Remus. I want to get on with the sorry as a writer so you can expect a bunch of chapters this week. Thanks for reviews and please know that they are very helpful and I take the criticism very seriously!


	6. Locked in a Room

**Chapter Six: Locked in a Room**

By: PenDiva

 **DISCLAIMER:** I don't any of the characters from this fanfiction.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Hey hope you like this chapter. IMPORTANT - If there is anything specific you guys want to see in this fanfiction that won't be a huge change to my plot let me know and I will see if I can work it into the Outline. As much as I write this because I love to, this story is for readers to enjoy. I can tell you now I'm going to develop Harry/Ginny and Harry will be in the Triwizard Tournament, though. Thanks for following again, and please Review!

...

Harry was thrashing in his sleep again but he didn't make a sound. Nobody would be around to hear his silent screams. Nobody would see his pained expression as he saw his worst fears come to life. Right now, and for the next eight days, Harry was alone.

The dream started in the Defence Against the Dark Arts Classroom with Harry's favorite professor, Remus Lupin.

 _The room was cold. Harry stood in the middle of it with Professor Lupin beside him. He turned towards the older man and saw his warm smile. Harry smiled to himself. He was safe with this man._

" _Professor, Lupin,"_

 _Lupin opened his arms and Harry rushed into them soaking up the comforting human touch, but something wasn't right. Remus wasn't saying anything and when Harry backed out of his embrace he saw his now pained expression._

 _His mouth was open, and his eyes gleamed yellow. Harry backed up, fearful of what was about to happen. He suddenly noticed the pale, shining light coming in through the window._

 _He heard a howl come from outside._

 _In front of him, Remus began a transformation. His legs grew longer and his back arched. His face grew a snout, and Harry could hear snaps from all the bones breaking and reforming._

 _Harry's back was up against the wall now, and he searched his clothes for his wand. Remus howled, and within seconds he had smelled Harry's scent._

 _Then Harry found his wand and he whipped it out towards the werewolf in front of him. He looked exactly like he had that night at the end of his third year. Even though this was a nightmare, Harry wasn't afraid of Remus as a werewolf. Heck, he'd killed a basilisk in his second year. He was afraid of someone turning on him. He was scared of getting hurt by someone who said he cared about him. Harry feared being abandoned._

 _Remus glared at Harry and barred his teeth. Harry had frozen in his tracks and for some reason in his dreaming state, couldn't recall a single spell that would save him in this situation._

" _Professor, it's Harry! It's me, don't you recognize me?" Harry pleaded desperately. It might have been his imagination but Harry thought he saw the werewolf pause. Then he snarled and lunged at Harry._

 _Harry barely dodged and he fired a curse that he could suddenly remember. A red light shot out of his wand and opened a cut on the werewolf's shoulder, which only made him angry._

 _"I'm coming to live with you, you said you wanted to have me around! You have to recognize me," Harry said again, becoming desperate._

 _Then the werewolf straightened up to it's full height, and looked almost human as it walked towards Harry. Remus, even as a werewolf, knew what he was doing. He could see Harry and attacked him anyways. The werewolf spoke in Remus's voice but it used the familiar words of Harry's uncle._

" _Why would I recognize a piece of trash, you little freak!" Harry flinched. "What, you actually think people care about you? You actually think that I want you to stay at my house this summer? Wow, Potter, you really are naive." Harry cringed at the nickname Snape often used, coming uncharacteristically out of Remus's werewolf form. The werewolf then crouched and swiped at Harry with a huge paw._

 _Harry ducked and threw himself backwards to try to get away. His back slammed into the ground, and Harry crawled on his elbows to get some space between Remus and him. The room seemed to only get smaller and smaller and Harry felt trapped. 'There is no escape,' he thought with despair._

 _The werewolf smiled. Now it voiced a fear that had been implanted by Vernon and fed upon in Harry's mind. "Nobody will ever love you! Stop taking up space and being such a burden to everyone you meet! Every person you care about will turn against you when they realize what a worthless scum you are! Just you wait!" Harry shook his head, tears running down his face. The werewolf crouched, and it started growling. Their little chit-chat was over._

 _Harry held his wand out but his mind blanked again and he was defenseless. The werewolf took a swipe at him and knocked him in the head. It reminded Harry of something Vernon would do._

 _The world spun, and Harry threw up his arms as a shield. The werewolf lept towards the teenager and bit down hard on anything it could find. His arms, his chest, his legs. Harry kicked out and tried to escape from his attacker but to no avail._

 _Harry felt himself being grabbed and thrown across the room. His head smacked against the wall.. The werewolf was about to start advancing on Harry again._

 _Then suddenly the werewolf stopped. He craned his neck towards the door and howled. Harry turned and saw his professor, standings as a man in the doorway of the classroom. Remus had yellow eyes. He looked down at Harry with a disgusted expression and his eyes bore down on Harry._

 _Then he spoke. "Stay where you are at the Dursleys. We're not coming for you."_

 _Remus nodded at the werewolf who turned towards Harry, licking his lips. He howled again, making the hairs on Harry's arm stand up._

 _The werewolf leaped at him..._

Harry gasped, waking up from the dream abruptly. His body was shaking and covered in a cold sweat. He took a few shuddering breaths but had to stifle a groan at the pain in his chest.

He close his eyes but all he could see were the disgusted, betraying eyes of his DADA professor, telling him to stay at the Dursleys.

"It's just a dream," he told himself. Harry has had many of these kinds of nightmares last year at Hogwarts, and he has even more of them when he is at the Dursley's.

In each dream one of Harry's friends told Harry the same things Vernon often told him. They called him worthless, freak, or a piece of trash and that nobody loved him. They abandoned him in every nightmare and spent their time hanging out with other people or trying to kill Harry for being a waste of space.

He especially hated the ones with Sirius. He would blame Harry for his parent's death, something Harry already did, and then Sirius would give him back to the Dursley's. Harry always woke up shaking and breathing hard. It took a while to convince himself that they are just nightmares, and he had to pull out letters from his friends each time to calm his nerves.

He would re-read Sirius's letter over and over again until he was convinced what Sirius had said in his dream wasn't true.

But he never forgot.

And this time it was worse.

He had spent the entire year with Remus but his professor hadn't sent him any letters this summer, because Harry had told him not to or Vernon would punish him. He had nothing to refer to that would make his fears subside.

Harry hugged his knees and let himself cry. "Remus _does_ want me to live with him. He taught me to cast a Patronus and was best friends with my Dad. He would never abandon me!" Harry told himself.

He sniffled, and made a whimpering sound. Seeing a werewolf in his dream had really shaken him up, and Harry wished he had never even gone to sleep.

Harry stretched his legs out over the bed and pulled his blanket around his shoulders to try and stop his body from shivering. The clock read 6:30. He was lucky that it wasn't any earlier. He could never fall asleep after a nightmare like that and he lost a lot of sleep as a result.

Harry replayed in his mind the beginning of the dream. Remus has smiled at him and welcomed him into his arms. Harry recalled that feeling, even though it was from a dream, and craved that loving human touch right now. The Dursleys weren't exactly people to show affection.

Harry kept thinking about the dream, rationalizing it so that it made sense as to why Remus had said those awful things. 'It was because Remus was a werewolf that he said those things, and maybe I'm actually afraid of him as a werewolf,' Harry thought hopelessly. 'He sounded so much like Vernon.'

"What if when I go to live with them, they think I'm a freak and a waste of space! What if they send me back here? No, Harry! That would never happen," Harry said aloud with eyes wide.

Harry put his head in his hands and cried again. He had no idea who he was, and he kept arguing with himself. The Wizarding World said he was The-Boy-Who-Lived, Snape said he was just the offspring of James Potter, his childhood enemy, he was Ron's best friend, but to Vernon he was somebody else. He was a worthless freak, a piece of trash that nobody wanted around, somebody that just takes up space and wastes people's time.

'Is that true? Do people not want me around?' Harry thought to himself. 'Is that how they honestly feel?' Harry shook his head trying to make himself stop thinking about this.

He wiped his tears and sniffed. 'No, they do want me around.' Harry got up off his bed, putting all the weight on his right foot. Walking around on his left foot had put way too much strain on it, and now it burned like crazy if he bumped it or moves it. He hobbled over to the middle of his floor where he knew the loose floorboard was.

He bent over slowly, ignoring the pain from his broken rib. He pried the board open and let out a small, choked sob when he saw all the letters still there, exactly like he had left them.

He felt like such a wimp because he couldn't stop crying. 'Get a hold of yourself Harry.'

He found one of Sirius's first letters and read over the shaky writing. Sirius mentioned that he was asking Remus to live with them too, something he thought Harry would like. Sirius said something else about Remus being a werewolf but Harry didn't want to think about that after his nightmare.

Harry found another one that mentioned how Remus and Sirius had talked about Harry almost every day. Harry smiled just thinking about it.

'You're being ridiculous, of course they want to live with you,' Harry said to himself. He got up and went to his table where he kept a bottle of painkillers. He opened it robotically, like he had for the past few weeks.

His heart plummeted and his heart raced. "Oh no," Harry said quietly.

The bottle was empty.

He had totally forgotten that he had finished the bottle yesterday because of the exhausting amount of chores he had to do. The Dursleys had let him eat and treated him decently for a day as a result of his excellent cooking for Vernon's meeting, but they quickly found a reason to make his life miserable.

The first time it had been just another bruise and his arm for burning a tiny corner of toast. Then Petunia hadn't let him eat breakfast for a day because he had watered the plants too much.

Harry didn't know how much longer he would last, and now without the painkillers…

Harry hopped awkwardly over to the door to find it locked. He sighed, frustrated. What was he going to do now? He needed to go to Mrs. Figg's to ask for a few more pills to make it another week or two. That's all he needed.

Harry wasn't addicted to them, but he needed the help to get through his chores.

He sat down next to his door and waited for Petunia. She came in the next hour and Harry made breakfast as usual. Petunia noticed his inability to walk immediately but pretended she didn't see anything.

"I have already written out your chores," she said stiffly. "Vernon and Dudders are out but I will be home to make sure you don't blow up the house, you stupid Boy."

Harry nodded barely hearing the insult, and scanned his chores. Most of the stuff he had to clean he had already done in the past week and Petunia just wanted to keep him busy. He sighed and struggled to get up from the table and put his dish in the sink. Any bit of weight he put on his left leg sent searing pain up his leg that made him want to cry out.

"Try to walk normally, freak!" Petunia said getting annoyed.

This wasn't good. If Vernon noticed his left leg like Petunia had, Harry was doomed. He needed to either steal some painkillers from the Dursleys or go to Mrs Figg's.

Harry went straight for the bathroom, one of his first chores. He listened to Petunia turn the TV on and took the opportunity to rummage through their medicine cabinet.

He unscrewed the lid to a bottle with some pain medication and took 5 tablets. He hoped it was enough. Last night with the nightmare had caused him to kick out with his leg and hurt it even more.

Harry would take their medicine more often but if Vernon noticed a depleting supply of pills, he would jump to conclusions and beat Harry. This is what happened once when Harry was eight and he had to miss school for a week because he looked so bad.

Harry cleaned slowly in the bathroom, thankful that he didn't have to walk around much for this particular chore. After thirty minutes he noticed the medication beginning to make the pain go away.

But he knew it wouldn't last long.

Harry limped towards the front of the house. He casually closed the curtains making a note that if anyone asked he would say it was to keep the house cool. He slipped outside to do his typical chores in the yard.

Glancing back at the house Harry quickly crossed the street and walked towards Ms. Figg's house. She lived not far from the Dursleys on Wisteria Walk and Harry knew the route.

He walked as quickly as his leg let him and kept glancing around at anybody watching. He walked up to Ms. Figg's house but barely had to knock before she opened the door and ushered him inside.

"Harry! Come in please," she said and Harry went over to a chair and sat down, finally happy to let his ankle rest.

Ms Figg eyed him curiously. "Harry you should've come to me sooner. If you keep working for the Dursleys with that ankle, you're going to make it worse," she said, engaging the motherly instincts she had for Harry.

Harry frowned. "I could get by on the painkillers you gave me but they ran out."

"Merlin, how many did you take a day?"

Harry was about to answer but something she said made him stop. "Wait... What did you just say?"

"Harry, you must have had six or seven a day to finish the bottle that quickly. Have you been getting headaches?"

"Wait! Ms Figg, you said Merlin..." Harry said trying to figure it out. He chose his words deliberately just in case he was wrong, "I know people who use that phrase like a slang word, but muggles would never use that slang..."

Ms. Figg sighed. She knew she would never hide it from Harry for long. "Yes Harry, I know about magic and wizards. If you ever want to read the Daily Prophet over the summer you can come over and look at it."

Harry would've jumped out of his seat if he could. "Wait you're wizard? Why didn't you tell me for all these years?"

"Dumbledore wanted me to keep an eye on you during your childhood," she explained. "I knew you got hurt at times when you were at the Dursleys but you never admitted it to me. Dumbledore said you had to stay there to be protected from Voldemort, so I never said anything."

Harry was silent. Of course Dumbledore had someone watching him as a child. What hadn't that man thought of?

"Harry when is your Godfather coming?"

"Wait, don't you know any healing spells to help my ankle?" Harry asked.

Ms Figg shook her head sadly. "No, I'm a squib Harry."

Oh. 'Well that explains a lot,' Harry thought. "Sorry, I didn't realize-" Harry started.

Ms Figg interrupted wanting to change the subject. "Harry, when is your Godfather coming? I won't let you keep living with the Dursleys if they are treating you this bad."

She didn't even know the half of it. Growing up, the Dursleys would never let Harry go over to her house if he looked like he was being mistreated. She had her suspicions though, and now she knew for sure that Harry should never have gone to live with them in the first place.

"Sirius is coming in a week." Harry said.

"Ok, are you sure you will be okay until then?"

"Yes I'm fine!"

Ms Figg looked doubtful. "No young man I would not actually call your physical state 'fine'. Who did this to you?"

"Uh, Dudley's gang," Harry said looking down.

"Harry if Vernon did this to you-"

"He didn't okay!" Harry said panicking. Ms Figg can't know! She might tell somebody and then the police might ask questions and Vernon would punish Harry for letting somebody figure out that Vernon beat him. "It doesn't matter how I got hurt. If you don't want to help me, fine. I'll leave." He started to get up from the chair.

"No Harry! You can't walk on that ankle." Ms Figg noticed him grimace as he moved his chest. "Do you have bruises on your chest too?"

Harry looked away, annoyed that he had let his guard down. "No, I... might've… broken a rib." Harry silently wondered why that was so hard to admit.

Ms Figg's eyes went wide. This wasn't Dudley's gang. Harry was dangerously thin and had bruises on his legs and arms where his clothes didn't cover his skin.

"Harry, I still want to know who did this but right now it's more important that I get you healed." Harry nodded, only wanting something to null the pain.

Ms Figg left the room and returned with a few small bottles of potions. "Harry I'm only going to help you if you promise me that you will tell Sirius about this, or someone you trust." She knew she was being harsh on the teen but abuse was very serious and if Vernon was doing that to Harry...

"Okay, I will tell Sirius by the end of August, I promise," Harry said feeling slightly guilty. He would avoid telling his Godfather about this if he could. Harry looked the woman in the eye to try to convince her.

"Alright, good. This is the best I can give you but I think you should be able to make it another week with these," she said. She handed him some pain reliever, headache medicine, a tiny vial of pepper-upper potion, and some cream for bruises. It wasn't much, but it was much better then muggle pain reliever.

"This is more than I could've asked for Ms. Figg, thank you so much."

Ms Figg smiled, "I'm glad to hear that Harry, and I really hope this helps." Harry took barely a drop of the pain reliever potion and let out a huge breath of relief when he felt the pain go away. His tense shoulder muscles relaxed. He had another tiny sip so that he knew he would make it the rest of the day and got up to leave.

"Alright I need to get back, but thank you so much," Harry said. Ms Figg bid Garry a farewell and watched him leave to go back to the Dursleys. He still had a slight limp but from his face she could tell Harry was in a lot less pain than before.

Harry walked quickly back to the Dursleys. Knowing his Aunt, she wouldn't get up from the couch to check on Harry while one of her shows that was running, but Harry didn't want to think about what would happen if she discovered that Harry had slipped away to visit Ms. Figg.

He walked over to the garden in front of the Dursleys house and noted that the curtains were still closed. Harry set to work on his outside chores, feeling better than he had in a week. He owed that to Ms Figg, and he mentally promised to pay her back for helping him.

Petunia said nothing when Harry came back inside so Harry went upstairs to put the medicine under the loose floorboard in his room.

Harry finished up around the house after lunch and went off to his room for the rest of the night. He went to sleep a while later, hoping that for one night cruel nightmares wouldn't cause him to wake up shaking and unable to go back to sleep.

...

The next morning, Harry woke up and thought about the dream he had been having. It was one about Voldemort killing his parents, the same one as always. By now, Harry was used to this dream, ever since the Dementors had forced him to remember that terrible night. The dream never got far enough that he saw Voldemort try to kill him. He woke right after he saw his mom being murdered.

Harry tried to shake the image from his head as he rolled over onto his side. Pain erupted in his chest where he had a broken rib and Harry gasped. The painkillers from yesterday had worn off and now Harry had forgotten how much it hurt to take a deep breath.

He tried to slow his breathing as he lay on his back and closed his eyes. He got up slowly and retrieved the bottle of pain reliever taking a small sip. Instantly the agonizing fire in his chest subsided to a throbbing pain that Harry could handle for the rest of the day.

His room was locked, so Harry waited for someone to come up and demand that he make breakfast.

At some point, he had fallen back asleep because when he opened his eyes and once he put his glasses on he saw his clock that read 11:00. Harry groaned.

The Dursleys had done this before. When there were days that all of them would be gone for a while they just locked Harry in his room and didn't give him anything to eat.

Harry laid in his bed out of sheer boredom when he suddenly had an idea.

What if he could do accidental magic on purpose? He isn't allowed to use a wand over the summer because he is underage but what if he could focus and try to use magic to unlock the door?

Excited, Harry got up from his bed and limped over to look at the lock more closely. He kneeled in front of it and closed his eyes.

He tried to clear his mind and focus only on the lock. He imagined the bolt sliding over so that he could turn the handle. He opened his eyes and tried the handle.

Still locked.

Harry then thought of the spell that unlocked things. " _Alohomora_ ," he said confidently, pointing at the lock while concentrating on making the bolt turn.

Nothing happened.

"Come on, where's Hermione when you need her. She would know how accidental magic works," Harry said, thinking hard.

He racked his brain for every instance of accidental magic he had performed. When he was at the zoo once he made the glass disappear because he was mad at Dudley for pushing him over and interrupting his conversation with a snake. He made his Aunt Marge blow up when he got angry from her insults about his parents. He pushed Vernon away from his bed when he was afraid of something in a nightmare. There were other instances Harry could think of and every single time he was either mad, afraid, lost, or really happy.

'That's it,' he thought. 'Maybe it is triggered by really strong emotions.' The more Harry thought about it, the more obvious it seems. 'How did I not realize this sooner?'

'What emotion should I have?' Harry wondered as his stomach rumbled. He then focused on how badly he needed to get out of this room or he would die. Pointing at the door he said, " _Alohomora_!" The door whole slightly but the bolt didn't move.

He kept trying with every strong emotion he could think of but every time the door just stared back at him defiantly. He was growing angry, and he used that to fuel his last attempt to unlock the door with accidental magic.

The best response he got was the handle rattling but Harry could tell it would never work no matter how strong his emotions were.

Harry collapsed on the bed, exhausted from using all that energy. He had so little of it with how much he ate, so he slept or stared at the ceiling for 8 hours before he heard someone arrive home.

Vernon sounded angry. This can't be good. He heard the front door slam and then something fall.

"Vernon!" His aunt Petunia shrieked. Harry strained to hear what they were saying but couldn't pick up anything.

Harry sat up on the edge of his bed. Vernon shouted at his wife one last time and then started to stomp up the stairs. Harry had a sinking feeling in his gut and he subconsciously held his breath.

Vernon unlocked Harry's door and burst in quickly but that made the room spin because he was drunk. Harry yelped a little and tried to flatten himself against the wall and make himself unnoticed by Vernon.

That worked for about a second.

"You, Boy!" He lumbered over to the bed and made a slow grab for Harry but the teenager ducked. He couldn't take another beating while Vernon was drunk, especially with Sirius coming for him in a week.

Vernon got red in the face as he yelled, "I had to interrupt my time at the bar just to come home and hear that Dudley needs to be put on a diet!" He swung again at Harry's head but missed and hit Harry sloppily in the neck.

A diet! That what this is about? So the doctors finally realized how overweight Dudley is and now they tell him to do something about it?

Harry still wasn't sure why he should be getting punished though. Vernon continued trying to hit Harry but the dimly lit room made it hard for him to focus.

"It's your FREAKISHNESS! You cursed Dudley and poisoned all of our food! I'm not stupid you worthless kid!" Suddenly he grabbed Harry by the collar of his shirt. He looked him in the eye as he said, "You're lucky I haven't killed you yet, BOY!" With that he threw Harry as hard as he could in his intoxicated state.

Harry's shoulder hit the wall hard and he fell to the ground. Fortunately, he hadn't hit his head.

Vernon looked at him on the ground and kicked him a few times in the stomach, hard. Harry had already wrapped his arms around his chest so Vernon didn't break another rib. 'Great, more bruises,' Harry thought.

Vernon stepped back breathing hard, stumbling a little. "How many times will I have to beat the freakishness out of you Boy!"

Vernon maneuvered around towards Harry's head. Harry was stunned from all the kicks but realized what Vernon was trying to do.

Vernon brought his foot back but Harry had rolled into a ball and let the next few kicks land on his back. He wince every time but the potion made this beating a lot less painful.

Vernon's vision was fading and spinning from using so much energy just to beat Harry. "Get up, FREAK! Stand up now!" Harry got to his feet somewhat painfully.

Vernon took a step towards Harry but nearly fell over. Harry took a step back while Vernon growled.

All of a sudden he grabbed Harry again and pinned him against the door frame. All the locks on the door dug into Harry's back but he bit his lip so he didn't cry out.

"Nobody is coming for you next week! Your little FREAKS don't care about you! Nobody does!" Vernon spat. Harry closed his eyes and thought of Sirius. Vernon kept saying, "You're worthless, and nobody wants you around! Stop taking up space and ruining our lives!" Vernon then threw Harry into the hall with surprising strength for still being drunk.

Harry slammed against the wall and snapped his head up to where his drunk uncle was wobbling around.

"You'll pay for poisoning my Dudders!" Harry looked at him funny because he kept changing the subject. Harry had never seen him so drunk.

Suddenly Vernon pulled out a pocket knife. Harry wasn't sure if his headache was making him go crazy. Since when did Vernon pull out a pocket knife when he was beating Harry?

Harry could feel the pain returning quickly now, and he knew that the pain reliever was wearing off. This needed to end.

Harry stood up and made to run for the stairs but Vernon took one step and hit him in the head with his hand that wasn't holding the knife.

On the ground now, Harry tried to get away from Vernon but found his back up against a wall. Vernon stumbled again and clumsily swung the small blade.

Harry threw his arms up defensively and felt the blade cut into his arm. "Agh!" He cried, finally unable to take the pain. It was back, full force now that the potion wasn't helping anymore.

Vernon followed the momentum of his swing of the blade and fell into the wall above Harry. Harry flinched, preparing to be crushed, but Vernon swung backwards and tried to gain his balance.

If you're 250 pounds, never try to gain your balance while hopelessly drunk. Vernon fell sideways and crashed to the ground. He was out like a light.

Harry was shocked to see his uncle down on the ground like that. Usually his beatings stopped when Harry passed out but this time it was Vernon who was unable to continue.

Harry crawled away and tried to get to his feet. His ankle had erupted in pain from him walking on it all day. He took a deep breath to try to tough out the pain but immediately regretted it. His broken rib shifted and Harry shut his eyes. When would he get a break? His right arm was now covered in blood.

Black spots danced in his vision and Harry fought to stay awake. He limped into his bedroom and pretty much fell onto the floor where the loose board was. Vernon grunted in his unconscious state but didn't wake.

Harry uncorked the potion and took a sip. Instant relief flooded his whole body. He sighed and lay down on the floor in a blissful state.

A little while later. Harry made it to the bathroom to clean up the blood from his arm but the sound remained.

"I will have to do something about that," Hardy said aloud but he had no idea what. The cut didn't look to deep though, so Harry hoped it would scab over and fade away in a few weeks.

Harry went to sleep quickly that night. Anything to escape his own mind even if that brought horrifying nightmares.

Harry had been thinking about Sirius and Remus right before he fell asleep. What if they didn't come? What if Vernon was right?

...

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** I hadn't actually planned to make this chapter so long but I liked how it was turning out so I just went with it. The next chapter will have none of Harry though, so sorry about that… Please review and thanks again :-)


	7. Moonlit Reunion

**Chapter Seven: Moonlit Reunion**

By: PenDiva

 **DISCLAIMER:** All of the credit for the amazing characters and ideas for this story belongs to J. K. Rowling, unfortunately I own none of it.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Enjoy Chapter Seven! Unfortunately Harry isn't in this chapter much, but be prepared because next chapter there will be some exciting scenes with Harry and the Dursleys :-) Please review!

...

Rom shrugged on a light coat as he went out the backdoor of the Burrow. He grabbed his broom that was leaning against the house and sighed in relief when he saw that the twins hadn't pranked or charmed it.

"Ronald, get up here and help me out! It's two against one right now!" Ginny yelled from her broom, fifty feet above Ron.

Ron grinned. He loved the Weasley pick up quidditch games even if the twins played rough and unfair.

He kicked off from the ground and rose to where Ginny was hovering. "Alright, don't hold back this round. Use every trick up your sleeve Ginny because I know you have a few." Ginny smiled mischievously before flying off.

Ron looked out over their makeshift field. They had three small hoops set up close to the ground with a basket right beneath it. They had made up this game because they couldn't build a quidditch pitch and they can't buy a snitch.

In the basket was a colored tennis ball. One team had to grab the other team's tennis ball and bring it back to their basket. The hardest part was getting it, especially because it was on the ground, and they tended to crash a lot.

Suddenly, Ron heard a whizzing sound. "Heads up!" Ginny shouted. Ron ducked, barely missing the bludger headed for his head.

"Oi! Watch where you throw it!" Even though it had charms on it so that they didn't get seriously hurt, any bludger in the head could knock you off your broom.

"Finally decided to join the game, Ronnikins?" One of the twins said.

They starts zipping around pushing their rickety brooms as fast as they would go.

Ron tried to intercept the Quaffle from the twins or he would block their shots at the hoops. Ginny was in the midst of throwing the bludger at the Fred while trying to sneak around towards the basket. George intercepted her and Fred took the opportunity to race towards Ron's basket.

Ron threw the quaffle at him and hit him in the back. It didn't hurt as much as the bludger but Ron was out of ideas. Fred had made a grab for the basket but Ron sweeped in low and bumped him from the side. Fred nearly fell but caught himself.

Ginny flew back to Ron and Fred went back to George. "Come on! You have to protect the goal!" Ron was used to how intense Ginny could get during Quidditch.

"Alright, well next time actually grab the Tennis Ball!" he said but he was smiling. Ginny punched him in the arm.

"Ow."

"Wimp."

"Stop hitting me and go get the Tennis Ball."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Wimp," she said again, laughing.

Ron sighed but they both flew high in the air. Fred and George had the quaffle and the bludger and Ginny and Ron were waiting for them to do something.

They threw the quaffle straight for the tallest hoop on Ron's side and Ron dove down to catch it.

"Come on!" He said, seeing how close it would be. He stick out his arm and caught the side of the ball. George whistled.

"Good catch there, Ronnie!" George teased. Ron threw the quaffle at Ginny.

They continued this playful banter for a while and casually played their quidditch game. Eventually, the game picked up and each team came very close to getting the other tennis ball into their basket.

That's another thing about their game. They had decided early on that you can't touch the tennis ball in your own basket or move it back. If a player dropped it in the middle of the field, it stayed there, the other team couldn't pick it up and bring it back to their basket. The games would never end otherwise.

Ginny was able to knock the ball out by a few feet but the Twins couldn't seem to get close enough to touch it yet. They had even tried a Wronski Feint, but Ron saw it coming.

The game was at an awkward stand still and this was when the twins usually played dirty.

They got a hold of the quaffle and started passing it like crazy. Ron and Ginny swerved in and out trying to catch it but they were too quick.

"Hey Brother,"

"Yes, Brother," they said between catches.

"This is-"

"-rather fun-"

"-but I think we could make it a bit more-"

"EXCITING!" George suddenly flew right above Fred and passed the ball down to him. Then he jumped on his brother back, and grabbed his broom while Fred threw the ball straight up into the air. Holding the end of the broom, George swung at the ball as it was coming down.

Smack! It flew straight towards their goal. It went in, which was actually kind of rare in their games. The hoops were too small and low to the ground so the real action in the game came from the tennis ball scramble.

"Well, that was fun!"

"Shall we try it again brother?" They hollered at each other until they were out of the hearing range of Ron and Ginny.

"Wow, they must have practiced that trick," Ginny said.

"Aw Ginny, I thought you had some tricks up your sleeve. We need to get them back."

Ginny stared at Ron and grinned. "Don't worry about me, Ronald. Just keep distracting them."

They continued playing for a few more minutes when Ginny saw an opportunity to grab the tennis ball. She flew straight towards it.

Ron held his breath. Fred noticed Ginny and grabbed the bludger. He threw it hard, maybe a little too hard, to a spot right above the tennis ball. 'Now she can't catch the ball without being hit by a bludger,' he thought.

"Watch out Ginny!" Ron hollered, concern showing on his face.

Ginny saw the bludger but she didn't move to avoid it. Instead, she looked straight at the tennis ball. She swooped low and got her hand around it when the bludger found its mark.

It hit her straight in the side of the head and she went flying off her broom. She rolled to a stop a few feet away from where her broom landed.

"GINNY!" Her three brothers screamed. Her back was to them and they could see that she was wasn't moving.

"Fred, why would you throw it like that!"

"I'm sorry, I thought she would try to avoid it!"

They landed their brooms and rushed to their little sister's side.

"Aw, Ginny please be alright," Ron said pleadingly. He bent down next to her and saw a bruise on the side of her head and Ginny's eyes closed.

Fred and George knelt down right next to her. Fred shook her slightly. "Come on, Ginny. Open your eyes please tell me you're okay."

"Fred, should I get mum?"

Ron looked at Ginny. Her eyes twitched, and Ron narrowed his eyes.

"Hey wait a second guys. Ginny, are you ok? Wake up, come on." The twins stood up and looked down at Ron shaking Ginny's shoulder. Ron felt like he could've cried.

Fred shook his head, scared of what he had done. "Oh Ginny, I'm so sorry..."

"We have to get mum," the twins both said and they turned to rush into the house when Ginny's face broke into a huge smile. She got up as quickly and quietly as she could and started sprinting to her team's goal.

Hearing something, George turned and saw Ginny running.

"Oi, Fred!" All three boys started chasing after her. They had huge grins on their faces and they knew that they had just been tricked.

Ginny laughed loudly and glance back at her brothers. She had a nice head start. "Come, on, you're going to let your little sister beat you in a foot race?" She turned back around and sprinted the last ten yards to the goal.

She dropped it in victoriously and bended over, laughing and gasping for breath at the same time. Fred and George looked like they wanted to tackle Ginny, but then they started to smile.

"That was a good one Ginny-"

"-I bet you had it all planned out,"

Ron met up with them. "How long have you been trying to pull that one on us?"

Ginny was still panting slightly but said, "A while, and that was the first time it worked."

"This is officially the first time in quidditch history someone purposefully got hit with a bludger in order to win the game," Ron said.

"It was so hard not to laugh when you guys sounded so concerned. See? I always knew you cared about me,"

"Aw, of course we love you Ginny, but we have to toughen you up for all the other boys out there," George said.

Ron shook his head, but was beaming too. Ginny touched the growing bruise on the side of your face and her brothers immediately grew concerned.

"But really, are you okay?"

"I still can't believe you would purposefully let yourself get hit by a bludger."

Ginny shrugged. "It worked!" She actually did have a headache, but at this point she didn't care. They cleaned up from their game and as they were heading inside, they heard a shriek from their mother.

"GINNY! Dear, are you all right? What did those awful brothers of yours do to you,"

"Mom, we didn't-"

"Oh hush, George," Mrs. Weasley said.

"I'm Fred," he said, slightly hurt.

"Ginny, why don't you sit down," Mrs. Weasley said, hugging her daughter.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Mum, I feel fine," but she took a seat on the couch anyways. Ron sat down next to her defensively.

"Tell me exactly what happened," their mum said.

"Mum, it's not their fault. We were playing quidditch and Fred was defending the tennis ball but I purposefully let myself get hit so that I could pretend to be hurt and then sprint away and win the game!" She said, already about to burst out laughing.

Mrs Weasley put her hands on her hips. "Young lady, there are other ways to win! And Fred, I thought I told you not to aim at people's heads!" Fred looked down sheepishly and Mrs. Weasley continued to scold them a little more.

In a minute, her face softened. "I'm not trying to be mean, I just love you all too much and I don't want to see you get hurt. So play safe, and fair next time, you hear that boys?"

"Yes, mum."

"Sorry, mum,"

She fussed over Ginny a bit and gave her a vial of headache medicine. Ron put her arm around her and when she started to drift off to sleep, he laid her head back on the couch.

Mrs. Weasley now seemed content and let the twins run off, probably to come up with some other invention for their joke shop.

"I guess she wasn't letting on about that headache. I'm surprised it put her to sleep," Mrs Weasley said to herself mostly. Ron nodded and sat on the other side of the couch.

He sighed. Especially since the second year, he had become very protective of his little sister and they had gotten really close. Ginny needed to talk to someone after being possessed by Voldemort.

He pulled out some homework and trudged through that for a bit. Ginny was still passed out before dinner so the family let her sleep as they ate.

After dinner, Rom went to his room to write a letter to Sirius and Remus about his best friend Harry. He had gotten a letter in the beginning of the summer but hadn't heard from him since, and Ron had started to worry.

Ron had seen how skinny Harry was when he came back from summer break every year. He wore long pants and shirts in September and even when he started wearing T shirts, Ron saw one or two bruises where the sleeves ended. Whenever he asked Harry how he got them, Harry withdrew into his little shell and told him it was Dudley's gang. Ron thought it was something else.

This summer though, Harry's letter had said it was Vernon who would punish him if he did something wrong. Harry didn't even want Ron to send him any letter because Vernon hates magic and would punish Harry for getting mail.

He would punish him for getting mail! What the heck is wrong with getting mail?

In his letter to Harry's Godfather, Ron recommended that they check on Harry a few days early. Harry needed to get out of that house as soon as he could.

He finished with his letter and sealed it off. "Hey Pig, get over here," Ron called out. The owl flapped around and took Rons letter before flying out the window excitedly.

Ron sat down on his bed and thought of his best friend. 'Why doesn't Harry tell me what's wrong?' Ron asked himself. At the end of the school year Harry is always very apprehensive about going back to the Dursley's.

Ron has also seen some of what happens when Harry has a nightmare. Harry usually charms his bed so that people can't hear him scream but sometimes Ron wakes up and sees Harry thrashing around from a nightmare. He would wake him up and ask him what's wrong, but Harry would just turn over and say it was nothing.

Ron put his head in his hands. "You're not alone, Harry, so why do you push away all the people that care about you?"

Just then there was a knock at his door. Ron lifted his head up and held his chin in his hands. "Come in," he said.

Ginny walked in smiling but stopped when she saw her brother.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Ron almost snorted.

"It's not me, it's Harry, and if asked him the same thing he would just say 'nothing' and walk away," Ron said sourly.

Ginny came towards the bed and sat down next to her brother. "He's done that to me a few times, but I just figured he's got a lot to deal with and he wanted to be left alone," Ginny said.

Ron sighed, "I know, You-Know-Who is after him and all that, but I actually think its something at home. I don't think the Dursleys treat him well. They were practically starving him when we got him in the flying car two summers ago."

Ginny nodded slowly, growing concerned about her friend Harry. "Ron did you see his uncle at the train station?"

Ron shifted a little, nervous just thinking about it. "Yeah."

"His uncle looked like he hated just seeing him and he grabbed him... rather roughly."

Ron licked his lips and said, "You don't think his uncle would ever, you know, hit Harry?"

"I don't know, maybe. But they definitely don't treat Harry like family. Does he have to stay with them whole summer?"

Ron shook his head. "Sirius and Remus are going to pick him up in a few days."

"Then we don't have to worry. Sirius cares about Harry as much as we do, and he will make sure Harry is being treated well." Ginny thought of Harry's godfather and smiled. Once she got over the fact that he wasn't a mass murderer, she really liked him and was glad that Harry had someone who loved him like Siris did.

"But Harry has a really high tolerance of pain and he hides it very well. If Vernon was starving him or hurting him… Don't you think he would tell us about that? It could be very serious!" Ron said with a troubled look.

Ginny didn't know what to say, "Ron, I'm sure it's hard for Harry to talk about. Maybe we can invite him over and try to ask him about what's troubling him... I know you're really worried about him."

"Worried about who?" Two identical voices said from the door. Ron looked up at his older brothers and they recognized that something was troubling their little brother.

"Hey, Ronnikins, what's wrong?" George said coming into the room.

"It's nothing guys, I'm fine," Ron said but Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Ron come one they care about Harry too."

Fred leaned against the wall and a confused expression crossed his face. "What's up with Harry? Hey, he's like another little brother to us, and if there is something wrong..."

Ron sighed. "I don't know for sure, but... Well you guys saw his uncle at the train station right?"

The twins nodded.

"And you saw how they starved him and locked him in his room when we went to get him a few summers ago," Ron said slowly. They nodded again but with growing looks of concern.

"If those muggles aren't treating him any better I swear I'm going to walk over there and give him a piece of my-"

"No! You can't go to his relatives house," Ron said.

"Ronald, what are you talking about, why?"

Ron stood up and retrieved Harry's letter from his desk. "Guys, I'm only showing this to you because I know you care a lot about Harry… Don't tell him that I let you see this," Ron trailed off as he handed the twins the letter.

Ginny peered over their shoulder and the room was silent as they read over Harry's letter.

When George was finished he said, "He seems so sad! The whole letter has a weird miserable feeling to it even though he says he is fine."

Fred glanced at the letter again. "What does he mean Vernon will punish him for getting mail? That's ridiculous, and how exactly will he be punished?"

"Harry said Vernon wouldn't let him eat meals for a day, or give him more cores but I think there's more to it-" but they never heard Ron's last comment.

Ginny said, "What? Harry is already so skinny, he can't miss anymore meals! Sirius and Remus know this right?" Ron nodded.

"How soon are they going to get him?" Ginny asked.

"A few days," Ron said.

George took a deep breath and said, "I guess we just have to wait until then. Maybe in a few days we could go to Sirius's house and try to talk to Harry."

Ginny agreed. "We were thinking of doing the same thing."

Ron let his siblings talk about his friend but choose not to tell them about the bruises and nightmares he has seen Harry have. If they heard another mention of Harry being mistreated, they would barge over there and get Harry themselves.

As they were about to leave to go to bed Ron spoke up. "Oi, Fred and George,"

"Yes, Ronald?" They said.

"Promise me you won't go over there and try to take Harry away from his relatives like we did two summers ago. He has to stay there for a month every year to protect himself from Voldemort. It's part of some, ward thing Dumbledore set up and if Harry misses meals because you tried to get him out of there-"

Fred paled and said, "I know, and we won't. It's not worth Harry getting punished."

They left and Ron watched as Ginny followed behind them. Now he was alone in his room. He thought about Harry for the rest of the night and went to bed late. He hoped Harry wouldn't hide this from Sirius and Remus, two people who care about him very much.

...

Sirius and Remus stood outside as the sun sank even lower in the sky. They were waiting for the full moon to test out the wards they had set up and then Sirius would help Remus through the transformation as Padfoot.

Remus was pale and clearly wasn't feeling good. All of his sense were on high alert and his muscles ached, preparing for the change his body was about to undergo.

"Sirius, please be careful in your human form,"

"I will, Remus. Are you okay?" Remus nodded.

Suddenly Remus snapped his head up and sniffed. He sensed something flying his way.

"I think an owl is coming," Remus said.

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "This late at night?" They watched as a tiny brown owl flapped it wings furiously. It flew over to Sirius and stuck his leg out where a small letter was tied.

"Is that-"

"No, it's not Harry's writing," Sirius said quickly, slightly disappointed. He opened the letter and saw that it was from Ron.

He read over it and frowned. "Read this, Remus," Sirius said. Amidst the pain from his upcoming transformation, Remus looked the letter over.

He nodded. "Harry is lucky to have Ron as a friend."

"Yeah but did you hear what he said? They starved Harry and they treated him like dirt at the train station. Ron also thought that Harry gets beat up by Dudley because he comes to school with a lot of bruises every year."

"Sirius, when Harry gets here we will make sure he's okay. He told me his cousin is in a gang and does try to beat him up. I told him to try to run away or threaten to use magic. I don't think the Dursleys know that he can't use magic outside of school."

"Right, and they hate magic. That's probably smart Remus," Sirius said.

Remus smiled but grimaced as the sun sank out of view. It was only a few minutes now before he transformed.

"Did you see that Ron thinks we should go pick him up early?"

Remus gave him a stern look. "Sirius, we've been over this and that would just make the situation worse. Stop thinking about getting him early, Dumbledore would never let us disturb the thing he has set up with the wards." Sirius rolled his eyes but dropped the subject. Remus tried to comfort him with, "Its only a few more days, Sirius,"

"Three and a half days," Sirius corrected quietly.

Remus smiled and there was an awkward silence that followed before Sirius said, "You had enough Wolfsbane potion right?" Remus nodded. "That's good... Oh, and Ginny and Ron want to come over when Harry gets back."

"That's a great idea, tell them they are welcome to come over Sirius. I'm glad the Weasleys trust a werewolf and an ex-mass murderer," Remus said bitterly.

"Remus," Sirius said, knowing that his snappy comment was a result of the mood swings he would get before a transformation.

Remus closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Sorry, Padfoot. Are you ready? I can feel the moon, any second now..." A haunted look came over Remus and he arched his back in pain.

Sirius took a step back. Remus shed a few layers of clothing as his body twisted and stretched. His face grew, and he became much taller. His bones reformed and his muscles adjusted themselves to fit a werewolf's body. When the transformation was complete, he howled at the night.

Sirius stepped back, remembering all the times he had seen Remus transform in the Shrieking Shack.

Moony was standing outside the wards but looked at Sirius who was standing just inside them. Sirius stepped back, tempting the werewolf.

Moon whimpered, not wanting to hurt his friend. Remus was conscious as a werewolf because he had taken the wolfsbane potion.

"Come on, Moony. We need to make sure the wards work," Sirius said.

Moony dropped on all fours and trotted towards Sirius. A few feet away, he suddenly hit a wall and could barely walk forward. Like they had planned though, Moony tried as hard as he could to push through it.

He was able to advance by a foot but his skin started to burn. If had had kept going another few feet, his whole body would've caught flame but instead Remus leapt back and howled.

"Yep, I think they definitely work," Sirius mused. He took off his own jacket and changed into his animagus form, a large black dog.

Padfoot ran over to Moony who was still unhappy about getting burned from the wards and they played with each other. The started running around and nipping at each other like two puppies. A couple of times Padfoot had to help Moony resist the brutal werewolf instincts inside him, but this was a relatively mild transformation.

The whole time Padfoot felt like he was back in the Shrieking Shack all those years ago helping out his best friend. The only other Marauder he truly missed was Prongs, but now he had Harry to take care of.

The moon shone brightly down on their happy reunion, but in another part of England, the moon was shining down on a small muggle community where a powerful young wizard was forced to take residence in. Harry Potter sat all alone in his room wondering if he would ever find a family that cared for him. He could only hope that Sirius and Remus would keep their promise and come for him in a few days, but for right now, Harry could only try to fight off nightmares and survive with the Dursleys. He wasn't sure how much longer he would make it.

...

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Okay. So maybe not the longest and most exciting chapter, but it felt right in the story. Please review with comments, constructive criticism, or something you really want to see in upcoming chapters! I'll post the next chapter (with Harry) in a few days :-)


	8. A China Bowl

**Chapter Eight: A China Bowl**

By: PenDiva

 **DISCLAIMER:** I'm still waiting for the papers that make Harry Potter legally mine but as of right now every character belongs to Rowling :-)

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** This chapter was kind of hard to write and I was never fully satisfied with it. I revised it A LOT so hopefully it works out. Hope you guys enjoy... Chapter Eight!

...

Harry moved the weed wacker back and forth along the side of the house robotically. He had only a t-shirt to wear even though it was 50 degrees out, and from all the outside chores he had to do yesterday, he suspected he was catching a cold. "Well, that's just great," Harry said, thinking about it.

Vernon hadn't said much to Harry since the night he pulled out a pocket knife and beat him while he was helplessly drunk. Petunia didn't say much about that night either, but was more than delighted to see that Harry's injuries weren't stopping him from doing chores, thanks to the small amounts of pain reliever he had been relying on.z

Harry had formed a habit of carrying it around with him everywhere he went. He had learned to do that in case it wore off and he couldn't make it back to his room because of his ankle, which looked terrible right now.

He coughed again and tried not to cry from the pain in his chest. He took a few slow breaths and continued with his chores.

Harry put away the weed wacker and had to sit down on the ground because he was so tired. With nothing to eat and tons of chores, Harry felt like his limbs were dead weights and his head felt heavy all the time without the headache potion.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out one of the vials Mrs Figg had given him, a pepperup potion. He uncorked and had a small sip and magical energy surged through his body. He got up quickly before this energized feeling ended.

His headache faded too with another sip of a potion so Harry walked to the house to get dinner ready.

He realized that it probably wasn't good for his body to be having all theses potions, but Harry wouldn't be able to make it otherwise.

He was still lost in thought as he wakes inside. He had barely made it through the door when Dudley had punched him in the stomach and pinned him against a wall.

Harry groaned inwardly, not just from the punch, but that Dudley had decided to pick a fight with Harry the day before he had to leave. If he got anymore bruises, Sirius and Remus would surely find out.

"Dudley, not right now, please," Harry said.

"Aw, is Harry begging?" Dudley taunted.

Harry looked Dudley in the eye. Dudley smiled, and Harry was scared of what he was planning to do.

"Heard you moaning in your sleep last night," Dudley said. Harry's eyes went wide. Last night he had a nightmare about Voldemort killing his parents but he thought he hadn't made any noise.

Dudley continued. "Crying, 'don't kill mummy!' Kept apologizing like the filth you are. You cried, 'I'm so sorry, It's not my fault!' It was very annoying Potter, and I couldn't even sleep with all that noise you were making."

Harry tried not to get too angry but Dudley was pushing it too far. Dudley knew this, and continued his cruel taunts.

"Don't kill her! Don't kill mummy! Where is your mum now Harry? Is she dead? Is she DEAD?"

Harry took a slow caing breath but tried not to lash out at his cousin. A tear leaked from the corner of his eye as he remembered the terrible nightmares he had of his mother being killed by Voldemort.

Dudley pushed him up against the wall again and made sure he couldn't escape. "Is baby Harry crying? Does he miss his mummy? Well she's dead now and she will never comfort you when you cry you little FREAK!"

Harry flinched violently at the word, expecting to be hit again but nothing came. At this point Vernon had heard his son and was now standing in the doorway of the kitchen, watching the scene with glee. Harry didn't notice him standing there though.

"Why'd your mummy die, Harry? Did she die because she was a FREAK? I bet it runs in the family with you, Potter. Your dad was a FREAK so he married a FREAK and now look at what they created you-"

Inside of Harry something snapped. He could take their insults when they called him a freak or a piece of trash, but they had no right to talk like that about his parents who had died trying to save him.

Harry pushed Dudley back with all his might and stepped up to him aggressively. Anger radiated off of his body and his eyes pierced daggers through Dudley, making him step back.

Harry spat, "Don't you ever say that about my mum and dad again! "

Where he stood, the ground trembled slightly, and Harry didn't even try to keep his anger in check now. Frames on the wall were rattling. He took a threatening step forward and the air around him crackled with sparks and magic.

"I don't care what you call me, but you will never insult someone who gave up their life trying to save me!" Harry said harshly.

Harry took a big breath in and he could feel his own anger combining with his magic.

He took another step towards his cousin when his magic lashed out. SMASH! An ornate blue China bowl that had been sitting on a table next to him shattered and sharp bits of glass flew in every direction. Harry closed his eyes and put his hands up but none of the glass pieces went anywhere near him.

Most of them flew straight at Dudley.

Dudley put up his meaty arms to shield himself but he still got a few cuts from pieces of glass. A frame right next to Harry's head cracked and a few glass shards fell out of it.

Then it stopped and everything was still for a second. Harry looked in shock at the glass everywhere and a cowering Dudley with a few cuts on his arms. He stepped back and heard grass crunch underneath his feet. 'How did I do that?' Harry wondered about his burst of accidental magic.

Then he finally noticed Vernon standing in the doorway, watching everything and his stomach did a summersault.

Harry's anger went away and was immediately replaced by fear. 'Oh no, what have I done?' Harry thought. He had let Dudley get under his skin and his magic had gone wild, something he had been trying to avoid for the past month.

Petunia broke the silence with a shriek about her blue China then she rushed over to Dudley who was crying because of his cuts.

"BOY! What have you done?!" Vernon screamed, not even caring if the whole neighborhood heard at this point. He went to advance on Harry but Petunia came by him leading a still wailing Dudley.

Harry knew this was going to be the beating of his life so he did the only thing he could think to do at that point.

He ran.

At first he went to go out the front door but it had locked when he had come in and he didn't want to take the time to unlock it.

Vernon was making his way through the broken glass with his face as red and as angry as Harry had ever seen it. Harry turned around, took the steps two at a time and ran straight into his room.

Harry had no idea why he was running to his room but all he could think about was getting out of the situation he was in, even though Vernon would just follow him up here. Harry made it to his room and spun around, unsure what to do now. If he grabbed something to defend himself, Vernon would only punish him worse.

"You get back here you little FREAK!" Vernon growled from the hallway. Harry backed up towards his bed. Vernon entered the room and locked eyes with Harry who was cowering in fear.

Vernon screamed and made it to Harry in three long strides. He grabbed him around the neck and shook him while he yelled, "HOW DARE YOU TRY TO HURT DUDLEY! I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU NEVER TO USE YOUR FREAKISHNESS IN THIS HOUSE!" Vernon let go of his neck and slammed Harry into the corner of his bed, making the corner dig into his back very painfully.

Harry could feel the effects of the pain reliever starting to fade and he closed his eyes at the increasing amount of pain.

"You showed up on our doorstep and we gave you a house and clothes and THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY US? YOU BREAK PETUNIA'S BEST CHINA BOWL!" Vernon said, his voice cracking.

Vernon slapped him on the face and Harry tumbled onto the floor, barely catching himself. Vernon kicked out at Harry hitting him in his broken ankle.

Harry screamed, white hot pain searing through his leg. His hand shook as he shielded his face from a few more of Vernon's kicks and punches. His body convulsed at every hit, every inch of skin screaming with pain.

"GET UP! STAND UP AND LOOK AT ME YOU PIECE OF FILTH!"

Harry grabbed onto his desk and pulled himself up with arms but he groaned from the effort, earning him another kick. He got to his knees and then stood up with his uninjured foot, breathing heavily just from the effort.

Vernon dropped his voice down to a whisper. "Those freaks better come and get you tomorrow, because if they don't, I will make your life miserable for the next two months. I will make you wish you were never born!" Harry cringed thinking about it and Vernon punched him in the stomach a few times. Harry stifled back a cry as he doubled over and clutched his stomach.

Vernon grabbed him by the neck again and forced his head up. "Remember our little deal, BOY! One word of this to anyone and I will come find you and kill you myself," Vernon said. Harry was gasping for air, and his headache was back, full force.

Vernon threw him to the ground again and Harry coughed, trying to get air into his lungs.

Vernon grabbed him again and forced Harry to stand. Harry's head was pounding, and his vision swam. Vernon slammed him against the wall and Harry's head made a loud noise as it hit the wall.

"You deserve this, BOY!" Vernon spat.

He let go of Harry and watched him crumble to the ground. He reached out his foot very slowly and stepped on Harry's stomach applying more and more pressure. Harry wheezed for air and struggled but Vernon didn't move.

He finally did though and happily watched Harry grimace and take in huge breaths of air.

Harry wanted to be sick. 'What kind of person gets joy from this?' He looked up and saw that Vernon had pulled out the knife again. This time though, he wasn't drunk and could aim much better.

Harry quickly turned defensively so that his back was to Vernon and he felt the knife slice into his back. Harry screamed but stopped by biting his lip. Tears fell from his eyes and his face was a mask of pain and hurt.

"You will never threaten Dudley ever again. What he said was true!" Vernon said, emphasizing it with another cut in Harry's shoulder. Blood seeped through his shirt but Harry didn't cry out, knowing he would be punished for it.

"Your mother was a FREAK just like you and she didn't die because she loved you! She died because that's what she deserved for being a FREAK!" He kicked Harry.

'It's not true. She does love me and I wouldn't be here if she hadn't died trying to save me," Harry thought in his mind as Vernon swung at him again with the knife.

Harry filled his mind with his mothers face and found a reason to try to survive tonight. He thought of Sirius protecting him from Remus and saying that he wanted to live with them.

Harry grunted from another kick in his side, aggravating his already broken rib.

"Wait," Harry croaked.

Vernon paused. "Excuse me?" He kicked Harry again there was a small crack from yet another broken rib. Harry grimaced and wanted to cry out but didn't.

"Wait," Harry said again painfully. "There are spells… and ways for wizards to see my memories." He was gasping between each word. He close his eyes and swallowed before he continued. "Even if I don't tell them, they will be able to see… everything."

Harry knew it was a gamble, but he was desperate at this point. Vernon was ruthless this new pocket knife of his and for the first time, Harry wondered if he would make it out of this situation alive.

"What are you talking about, freak? WHAT DID YOU TELL THEM?"

"Nothing…" Harry said hopelessly.

"Are they watching now boy?" Vernon looked all around the room, double checking every shadow. "What are you playing at?" Vernon growled, and he kicked Harry in the head for saying that, but he noticed that Harry was barely conscious, which he was annoyed about.

He still looked around nervously though. He leaned in really close to Harry and said, "I really hope they never come to get you boy. We haven't had nearly enough fun yet," Vernon laughed maniacally and punched him in the chest, making Harry moan. He left the room smirking but behind the smirk was fear. 'Nobody can find out, who knows what they'll do to me!' Vernon thought desperately. He took one last look at his sorry excuse for a nephew before storming back downstairs.

Harry watched Vernon leave and thanked Merlin that his small idea had worked. With another broken rib though, he could barely move from the throbbing pain in his chest.

Harry thought about tomorrow when Sirius and Remus said they were coming. Harry didn't know what he would tell them about his injuries, but he didn't think he could ever tell them the truth. Vernon would kill him.

'Please don't let Vernon be right. Sirius and Remus, wherever you are, you have to come. Please don't leave me here with the Dursleys.' Harry thought.

He couldn't get to his pocket with the pain reliever without moving his chest so Harry just laid there helpless and let an unconscious sleep come over him.

…

"Checkmate!" Remus said beaming.

"What? Not again!" Sirius groaned. Remus beat him every single time they played chess, and Sirius was determined to win one day and never let Remus live it down.

"Want to play again? Who knows, this may be the time that you finally beat me!" Remus said sarcastically.

"Ha ha, very funny Moony." They packed up their chess game and sat down on the couch in their living room.

"I wonder if Harry could beat you in chess, Moony. He is pretty bright," Sirius said.

Remus knew his friend didn't care about Harry's chess skills. He just couldn't stop thinking about his godson.

"We will him tomorrow morning."

Sirius sighed dramatically. "I knoooow, but that is still such a long time to wait!" Remus chuckled. "This whole month has taken forever…" Sirius said drawing out the last word.

Remus shook his head at Sirius. Sirius looked at Remus and gave him a tired look.

"I'm sure you can wait another twelve hours," Remus said.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "I'm worried about him. We're going to have to make sure he eats well. He is already too skinny and Ron's letter said they starved him..." They've had this conversation before and Remus just nodded.

"Do you think he will like his room?"

"Yes, Sirius. You need to relax! Harry will be very happy to be here, and I know you will take care of him," Remus said.

Sirius bounced his knees up and down, still feeling jittery.

"Aren't you excited?"

"Of course I am but I try to contain the excitement," Remus said. He put his hand on Sirius's bouncing leg making it stop. "Sirius, I have an idea. You need to let out some energy so let's go through the whole house and try to find some pictures of Harry's parents. I actually just realized that I forgot to do that, and I wanted to put a few in Harry's room."

Sirius gave Remus a broad smile. "Great idea Moony! Harry will love that!"

Together they roamed the house until they found a few pictures of James and Lily or the Marauders during their Hogwarts years.

Remus took a frame from his bedroom that had Sirius, him, James, and Lily all posing for a picture around baby Harry. He showed it to Sirius who stopped what he was doing and grabbed the picture.

"This was around his first birthday, Remus," Sirius said, remembering that occasion.

Remus looked at the picture again. "It was the last time we got together because of the Fidelius Charm and everything else going on with the war."

Sirius walked to Harry's room with Remus beside him. He set it right on Harry's bedside table. "I hope he knows how much Lily and James loved him."

"When he comes I'm sure he will want to hear all about his parents. Maybe we can show him some of our memories with Dumbledore's pensieve."

Sirius mumbled an agreement but his mind was somewhere else. He thought of how much Harry looked like James and missed his best friend.

"I wish they were still here, Remus," Sirius said. Remus came and put an arm around Sirius as a few tears ran down the side of his face. He hadn't expected looking at pictures to bring out this kind of emotion from Sirius, but Remus was understanding.

"They are Sirius. We still love them and they are with us wherever we go," Remus said wisely. That phrase stuck with Sirius and he thought about how much Harry needed to hear that.

They mourned their lost friends for a few more minutes before Sirius was ready to continue organizing the pictures. As they did, they talked about each memory and tried to think about them happily.

Sirius went to bed smiling. "Harry's coming tomorrow," he said. Remus had similar thoughts and they both fell into a dream filled sleep.

…

Harry's night wasn't filled the same kind of pleasant dreams that Sirius and Remus were having.

He was having another nightmare about Vernon beating him. Most of them were memories of Vernon's beatings from when Harry was little, which made relieving every moment even worse for Harry.

 _Harry was cooking dinner like normal but his stomach was growling. He hadn't eaten in a week and he was feeling more sick every day. Vernon was mad at him for accidentally mowing over a few flowers because Harry could barely see over the top of the lawn mower because of how short he was. He was 7 years old._

 _Petunia walked into the dream and yelled at him for burning part of their meal. "Cook faster you useless freak! How did you manage to burn this?" Letunia said while she slammed the pan back on the counter. She hit Harry on the side of the head, making him fall. "I can't believe I let you cook! You probably infected it with your freakishness!"_

 _Harry cringed at her words but tried to ignore them. His head was swimming but if he didn't finish dinner Vernon would punish him and he had been in a sour mood this whole week._

 _Petunia walked back to the table, still muttering about Harry's incompetence._

 _Harry went to the stove but swayed from his headache. He emptied some rice into a bow and picked it up. He noticed the weight and it wobbled in his hands, but Harry started taking steps towards the kitchen table._

 _The world spun before his eyes and he tripped on the floor making the dish he was holding brake and sending bits of food fly around the kitchen._

 _And at that moment, Vernon walked into the room._

 _Harry was on the ground trying to make his head stop pounding when Vernon started yelling at him and grabbing him._

 _"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE THIS TIME YOU LITTLE FREAK!" Vernon said. He threw Harry towards the hallway but missed, making Harry smack into the wall. Vernon grabbed his arm again and twisted trying to make Harry squirm when he heard a crack._

 _Vernon grinned maliciously ms watched Harry clutch his arm in pain. Even in his dream, Harry remembered every detail of this night. It was the first time Vernon had broken one of Harry's bones and he always felt so sick from the joy Vernon felt because of it._

 _Vernon pushed him into the hallway as Harry cradled his arm. He hit Harry some more before unlocking his cupboard and throwing him in there._

 _"I will deal with you later, BOY!"_

 _Vernon slammed the cupboard door in his face and Harry say on his tiny mattress shaking. He pulled his knees into his chest and tried not to move from all the pain in his body. His arm was tucked into his body at an awkward angle and Harry grimaced every time it throbbed with pain._

 _Harry sobbed into his knees in the dream. He hated sitting in his cupboard for days waiting for Vernon to remember he was there and punish him for being such a burden to their lives._

 _He heard footsteps but nobody came and opened the door. Harry was all alone. He looked around the darkness of his cupboard and wished the dream would end. He knew exactly what was going to happen next. Vernon would drag him out of the cupboard and beat him into the ground, and then force him to do the rest of his chores._

 _Harry shivered in the closet just thinking about it. He coughed from the dust and groaned from the pain it caused in his chest. Someone outside heard the noise and Harry heard fast angry footsteps coming closer to the cupboard door._

 _Harry's heart raced, and his breath caught in his throat. He heard the door unlocking and he cowered back against the wall of the cupboard._

 _Vernon's ugly face appeared in the crack and he growled at Harry._

 _"Why can't you sit there quietly you little BRAT!" He screamed._

 _Vernon opened the door all the way as Harry flinched from the harsh words. He smiled and reached out his hands to lunge at Harry and pull him roughly out of the closet._

 _Harry closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable..._

Then he was back in his room laying on the floor. He was breathing heavily and his heart thudded in his chest. His nightmares always left him in a state, and this one was no different.

He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down. The beating from last night had triggered that memory although Harry desperately wished it hadn't.

Harry reached into his pocket, gritting his teeth from the pain, and pulled out the pain reliever. He took a few meager sips and exhaled as relief spread through his body. His chest still ached and burned when he took a deep breath but atleast now he could move around.

Harry say up but still groaned. He forced some headache potion into his empty stomach and tried not to think about the nausea he felt from not eating food for days on end.

He walked into the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. Bruises covered his body and when he lifted his shirt he could see two broken ribs and he could count the other ones because he was so skinny. His face looked tired and his whole body lacked energy.

"It's not like I have to keep up appearances or anything…" Harry said to himself tiredly.

He was about to turn the water on and wash his face when his eyes suddenly went wide. He realized what day it is. It's June 30th, Harry . Sirius and Remus are coming today. 'They are going to take me away from the Dursley's today!' Harry thought.

Then he looked down at his whole body.

"Oh no…" Harry said.

…

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** I will post the next chapter soon! Please Review!


	9. Keeping up Appearances

**Chapter Nine: Keeping up Appearances**

By: PenDiva

 **DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Harry Potter. What else is new?

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** **PLEASE READ:** So I was planning to post a lot sooner because I was on a mission trip in Honduras and I thought I was going to have some more time to write. In case you're wondering, the mission trip was amazing but I got sick halfway through the trip and I have had stomach aches and fevers for six days now. I had no motivation to write anything so I'm very sorry about that. I was also sick on my birthday and that just made me sour. Anyway, I will try to write some more soon and maybe if Harry gets sick I will know exactly how to write how he feels!

...

 _FROM LAST CHAPTER:_

" _It's not like I have to keep up appearances or anything…" Harry said to himself tiredly._

 _He was about to turn the water on and wash his face when his eyes suddenly went wide. He realized what day it is. It's June 30th, Harry. Sirius and Remus are coming today. 'They are going to take me away from the Dursley's today!' Harry thought._

 _Then he looked down at his whole body._

" _Oh no…" Harry said._

...

Harry bit his lip considering, feeling anxious and nervous about meeting Sirius and Remus all of a sudden. He had been excited to finally leave the Dursleys but now… he wasn't so sure.

"They can't see me like this! What would they think?" Harry said to himself. He began to pace slightly in the bathroom, twisting his hands in panic. His mind races with different possibilities of how he could hide this from Lupin and Sirius but doubt continued creeping in.

'What if the Dursley's say something and then Remus starts asks questions? He already knows I hate staying here,' Harry thought.

He listened at any other sounds coming from the Dursleys. He prayed they would just leave him alone for today.

He walked as silently as he could back to his room, expecting to be yelled at if Petunia found him wasting water in the bathroom.

His problem remained though. His clothes were torn and bloodied a little. Bruises and scratches covered his body, and he would only be able to survive until lunch time with the amount of pain reliever he took.

Harry tapped his leg with his hand, something he usually did with his wand, but that was locked downstairs. He heard Petunia wake up and move downstairs.

He changed into clothes that fit him a bit better, and he shoved the bloody clothes deep into his drawer. He also strategically placed his trash bin on top of a bloodstain that made him gag just looking at it.

As Harry cleaned up around the rest of his room he let thinking of different magical ways to make himself look better. He couldn't do anything without his wand though, and even with his wand he wasn't allowed to do magic during the summer.

He wanted to scream in frustration. 'They can't know!' Harry stood up and could feel how frustrated he was.

Why did the Vernon have to freak out so badly last night? Why did Harry have to choose last night to break that China bowl?

"Just my luck," Harry hissed through clenched teeth.

He paced his room, thinking through everything he could possibly do to hide this from Remus and Sirius. His ankle was throbbing painfully but Harry didn't even notice it.

"I'm going to have to hide it from them anyway, so I better get used to waking around and ignoring the pain," Harry said bitterly.

He sighed in annoyance. The potion he took did help but Harry still felt pain. 'I can deal with pain but Sirius and Remus they can't know!' He kept repeating that in his mind, realizing that he was accomplishing nothing but he didn't care. He was in a panic.

Then he felt something. He could tell in an instant it was magic but he didn't know how he could tell. It felt like good magic, not dark magic, which he had experience in his first and second years at Hogwarts.

Harry stopped pacing at stood in the center of his room with his heart racing. Had he sensed Sirius and Remus? No, that's impossible, he would've heard the Dursley's making a scene from seeing magic folk.

Harry turned around and looked everywhere. 'Is someone in here with me?' He thought. The magic feeling he had faded to nothing though and Harry was still standing there looking confused.

'What was that?' Harry asked himself. He looked down at himself and noticed nothing had changed and his entire room looked untouched.

"Dobby?" He called out softly. He didn't want to summon the elf but he wanted to know if the house elf had been watching him for some reason. He had never forgotten the summer before his second year when Dobby watched his house and collected all the letters his friends sent him.

When nobody answered, Harry tried to just brush off the weird feeling as nothing, though it still left an unanswered question in his mind. He walked back out in the hallway, checking behind his back for anyone.

He shook his head and walked into the bathroom again looking straight into the mirror.

What he saw made him gasp and nearly fall out the doorway. His entire face looked healthy and almost flushed. His clothes weren't torn and there were no bruises on any part of his body. His whole body looked healthy and maybe even a few pounds heavier.

'This isn't possible!' Harry thought. He continued staring at his reflection with his jaw agape. He gingerly used his right hand and felt the spot around his neck where he knew there used to be a big ugly bruise. He winced just touching the spot. When he looked down at his arms he still saw the bruises.

Looking back at the mirror though everything looked normal. No bruises.

Harry smiled at himself in the mirror. Maybe this is what Sirius and Remus will see.

Harry would've skipped and jumped around if he could've. His ankle was still hurt though, despite what it looked like in the mirror.

He walked bravely out of the bathroom feeling more excited then he had all summer. Sirius and Remus could never suspect a thing when he looked like this.

He was so caught up in this thought that he nearly bumped into Dudley. He quickly apologized but Dudley just stood there staring at him. Harry realized that he was staring at his face that looked free of bruises.

"What… How did you - but I thought… What are playing at, Potter! I thought Dad punished you last night, you can't… why don't you look terrible?" he stuttered, utterly at a loss. He couldn't see any bruises from all of his well-deserved beatings from this past month. Bruises don't heal that fast!

Harry raised his eyebrows. "I don't know what you're babbling about cousin. Better not tell someone you're hallucinating about magic. They might think you're crazy!" Dudley flinched at the word 'magic', expecting something to happen. When nothing happened he gared at Harry and stomped back towards his room.

Harry smirked as he thought about Dudley's stupefied expression. I guess that answers my questions. This is what Sirius and Remus will see. He walked back to his room happily, and closed the door so his aunt won't have a reason to yell at him for going out. She was cooking breakfast based on all the noises from downstairs, so Harry guessed they were going to ignore him for a day.

'At least Sirius and Remus won't see me doing chores,' Harry thought.

He sat down on his bed so he didn't aggravate his ankle anymore and now his chest was starting to hurt a little bit. He pulled out his vial of pain reliever, frowning at it's contents. He had enough for another week, but then he would be out. Maybe Sirius and Remus have some I could use? Or I could ask for some when I say I have a headache.

Harry sighed and thought 'I guess I will just have to figure it out.'

Looking around his room, Harry suddenly remembered that magical feeling he had felt right after he got worked up about Sirius and Remus finding out about how the Dursleys treat him.

"Accidental magic," he mumbled. He wanted to smack his head. Of course after he had gotten so mad and worked up about Sirius and Remus finding out, he had magically changed his appearance.

"Cool," Harry said.

He thought about that feeling and mentally thought about how he might be able to try and do it again later.

Harry took of his glasses and rubbed his tired eyes. All of this stressing out, and then magic, and then actual thinking had been to much. He had already had a restless night and he was still tired. He layed down on his bed, blind without his glasses, and he thought about Sirius and Remus.

"You guys better come today," he said. His whole

Body felt heavy but somewhat relaxed so he let his eyes close, thinking he would probably just lay in his bed and rest for a bit. In just a few short seconds however, he was asleep, curled up on his side and looking quite content.

…

Sirius sat up in bed rubbed his eyes. The nightmare he had just woken up from had been a vivid memory of his time in Azkaban. Remus had been amazing at helping him cope but he hated talking about it.

Sirius yawned some before climbing out of bed. He thought about seeing his Godson later today and instantly perked up. He dressed quickly, and walked downstairs to find an empty kitchen.

"Hey, Remus, are you awake?" Sirius called to an empty house. Surprised when there was no answer, he shrugged and said quieter, "Guess not."

He put a pan on the stove and started making eggs like Remus had shown him. He wanted to be able to cook a little bit for when Harry comes, but he was nothing compared to Remus. Who know werewolves were so good at cooking?

Sirius stirred a few eggs around and when they were finished he put them in a bowl and turned off the stove. Feeling very satisfied with himself, he took his bowl and sat down at the head of the table.

As he was eating he couldn't stop thinking about Harry who he would be seeing in a few hours. He had been waiting all summer for this, and now that June 30th was finally here, Sirius could barely believe it.

The clock on the wall next to Sirius read just before eight, a few minutes before Remus usually gets up. Sirius had woken up early, knowing where they were going today.

As if on cue, Remus walked in the room.

He noticed Sirius sitting down helping himself to his own breakfast which made him somewhat proud.

"Goodmorning," he said in the same chipper mood that Sirius was in.

Sirius nodded at his friend, smiling. He waited patiently while Remus made himself some toast and then once he had sat down at the table, said, "So, how are we getting there? I know Dumbledore said there are wards and muggles, so between the two of those how do you plan on getting there?"

Remus swallowed what he was chewing on and said, "To avoid the muggles we are going to dress like them and to avoid the wards that prevent apparating right into their front yard, we will just apparate somewhere close and walk the rest of the way. Hopefully, we won't have to walk more than a mile, but sometimes apparating without a very defined destination can be tricky."

Sirius smiled. "I knew you'd have a plan.

Twenty minutes later, they had both squeezed into their uncomfortable muggle outfit and hidden their wand in with their clothes. Remus also brought the legal guardianship papers that he needed Vernon to sign.

"Ready Sirius?" Remus asked.

When he got a nod, Remus smiled at his friend and gave him a little coin.

"Apparate, and think of me, and this will take you to where I am," Remus said.

Sirius just said, "Got it."

Remus nodded and then thought back to everything he remembered about where Harry lived. He had gone to check on him a few times when he was little so he would be able to apparate somewhere nearby, even though his memory was very hazy.

He turned on the spot and after a few seconds, Sirius did too.

Remus blinked away the slight dizziness and looked around at where he was. Sirius landed nearby.

"Definitely looks like a muggle town to me. So where's Harry?" Sirius said. They were standing in a small field right next to an empty park.

Remus shrugged. "I think I was off by a little bit, but I have a general sense of where we are." They started walking near the road and then Sirius realized why this place looked so familiar.

"Oh wait, I've been here before!" Sirius pointed at those bushes. "I was watching Harry one night from those bushes and he left from this park and got on the Knight Bus. It was pretty lucky that I found him, even though I'm pretty sure I scared the hell out of him."

Remus had a surprised look on his face, which Sirius smiled at. Remus said, "Why were you spying on Harry? Isn't that kind of creepy?"

"I never really thought about it like that. I hadn't seen him in twelve years though, and I just wanted to see what he looked like or get a little glimpse of him. He was all I thought about in Azkaban. And of course you, Moony," Sirius added as he glanced at his friend.

Remus rolled his eyes, but he kept this new tidbit of information in his mind. 'Sirius thought about Harry in Azkaban? I thought it was impossible to be happy there,' Remus thought to himself.

He continued walking through the Muggle streets, getting bored of the houses that all looked exactly the same. Sirius kept up behind him, eager to see Harry.

They eventually came onto Privet Drive and Remus struggle to remember what number Harry was.

"Sirius, do you remember which one is Harry's?"

"Hmm? I thought you knew?"

Remus took a deep breath, "Well, I knew up until here but I came here so long ago, maybe ten years that I don't remember the number, and… well Harry doesn't really love talking about the Dursleys."

Sirius looked around at the street they were on, clueless as to which one would be the Dursleys.

Remus started walking up to one of the houses and said, "I will just ask, but don't say anything weird that would scare a muggle."

"You don't trust me?" Sirius said.

Remus looked back ready to apologize but Sirius was smiling. He sighed and then raised a fist and knocked on the door of the house in front of him.

A little girl peeked through the front door before calling loudly for her mom. A few moments later, an older woman appeared and greeted them nicely.

"Yes, um I wasn't expecting anyone but may I help you?" She said smiling. Her daughter hung on to her leg.

"Yes, I was looking for the Dursleys, but I can't remember what number they are..?"

The lady's smiling face faltered for a bit but she recovered by saying "Oh, you actually want to visit them? That's nice, they are just three doors down," she said. Remus thanked her and she closed the door quickly.

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "Okay... That was interesting. Maybe they don't get a lot of visitors?"

They walked closer to Number Four and Remus instantly noticed how pristine and perfect the lawn was. Every blade of grass was trimmed and the bushes were neat and trimmed. None of the flowerbeds had any weeds and there was a rose bush that was blooming and none of the leaves were dead or drooping.

"Wow, they really take care of things here," Sirius commented.

Remus nodded, trying not to think about who had to do all of the outside chores. Sirius walked past Remus and knocked on the front door.

There were some voices from inside, and one sounded kind of annoyed but a thin woman opened the door nonetheless.

"What do you want?" she said. Sirius nearly choked.

"Uh, excuse me?"

Remus was also annoyed at her attitude but tried to ignore it. He said, "We're here for your nephew, Harry? We are going to take care of him for the rest of the summer. We sent you a letter explaining everything -"

"Wait, you were serious about that? You actually want the little brat?"

It was Remus's turn to choke. He couldn't even think of something to say in response.

"If that's my godson you're talking about -" but Remus put a hand on his friend and sent him a warning glance.

"Yeah, he's upstairs. We're just glad he's off our hands," she said, walking away.

Remus went in slowly and his werewolf sense told him something was off, but he reconned it was the muggles cold demeanor. He found the stairs and was climbing them two at a time with Sirius right on his heels.

"Hey, Harry! It's Remus, we're here!" He called out softly, not wanting to alert any other rude Dursley's that they were here.

Sirius went ahead of him and found Harry's room. Remus sniffed the air and got a weird smell of blood from somewhere in the hallway. He also frowned at the three locks on his door but walked into Harry's room, ready to give Harry a huge hug.

Remus stopped in surprise, forgetting all about smelling blood. He saw Sirius smiling so he peeked over his shoulder saying "What is it?" Harry was sleeping peacefully on his bed, with his glasses on the floor and a tiny blanket shoved to the side of the bed. His room was small and barely had anything in it, but Remus was only looking at Harry who looked so much younger and content when he was sleeping.

Remus chuckled. "Okay, let's not wake him up just yet. I will go try to deal with the Dursleys, and have them sign the papers. You stay here."

Sirius didn't have to be told twice. Remus went downstairs, silently praying the Dursley's could be in a better mood today.

Sirius walked over to his godson and put his glasses on his desk. He sighed. He wanted to talk to his godson but he would feel terrible if he woke him up.

He walked around his room a little and he was surprised at how little Harry kept in here. He opened a few of the drawers in his desk and was surprised Harry hadn't started any of his homework.

"Although, I never started my summer homework until mid-August," Sirius said remembering his school years. He did find one book bound in red leather and when he turned it over he could see that it was a photo album. The first page had a picture of Lily and James holding baby Harry.

Sirius kept looking through the book, feeling slightly guilty for looking through it but he loved looking at so many old pictures of his friends.

He noticed Harry shifting slightly some time later so he closed the book and put it back on the desk. He cracked his back and rubbed at his slightly sore neck. He let out a quick breath, wanting to take Harry home as soon as Remus was done.

…

Remus had gone downstairs and had tried to talk to Harry's relatives logically but they really didn't want to talk to him. First he stood there while they finished an early lunch, and by then Petunia couldn't come up with another excuse to stall so she sat down with Remus.

"Alright, what do you want from me. This better be quick," she said.

Remus sighed, and said, "We came here for Harry, and we also want to become Harry's guardians. We just need you to sign some stuff if it isn't too much of an -"

"What, so now you think that just because you show up here and act all nice, you think you can be his guardian just like that? We raised the little freak and gave him home and now you want to call him as your own? Well go ahead, I never asked to be his babysitter!"

Remus was shocked at her outburst. He knew women had hormones, but he had no idea they could be this sporadic. Harry was wonderful and extremely kind so why in the world would he call him a freak?

Upstairs, Harry was just waking up from a slight nap without any dreams. He hadn't realized he had fallen asleep, but the accidental magic had taken something out of him, even if he didn't realize it.

He blinked his eyes at his blurry surroundings and he rolled over on his back, letting out a sigh.

Sirius stood up and walked over to Harry who looked up at him in surprise.

"Harry," Sirius said.

Harry heard Sirius say his name but he almost couldn't believe he was here.

"Sirius? You came?" He sat up slowly, trying not to hurt his aching chest and he look at his godfather's blurry form.

"Of course I did Harry, why wouldn't I! Remus is trying to deal with your relatives as we speak," Sirius said excitedly. Harry smiled and looked around or his glasses. Sirius handed them to him and Harry finally saw him in his muggle outfit.

Suppressing a laugh, Harry stood up and hugged him, thankful that Sirius didn't squeeze his chest too hard.

"What are you smiling at?" Sirius said jokingly as they separated.

"Never thought I would see you in muggle clothes," Harry said.

Sirius sighed and looked down at his clothes. "I know, it feels so weird!" He was wearing tan khaki shorts and a black t-shirt but it was so different from his usual brown jacket and wizard clothes that Harry had to laugh.

"Sorry," Harry said getting over his laughter. Sirius clapped him on the back encouragingly but was looking toward the door so he didn't notice Harry's small gasp of pain. "Okay, do you have anything you want to gather together, and then we can leave? Where's your school trunk?" he said looking back at Harry.

"Vernon hated magic, so he locks it up in the cupboard every summer," Harry said matter of factly.

Sirius was ready to get really mad about this but he kept his cool for Harry. "Ok, we can grab that on our way out." He started walking out of the room but Harry suddenly remembered a few things he did want to take with him.

"Oh wait, I can't forget this." Harry grabbed his photo album and then took the letters from underneath his floorboard. Everything else in here he would rather leave behind.

Sirius nodded at all the stuff he got and they left the room together.

It sounded like there were as an argument going on downstairs but Sirius wasn't worried about it. Remus was very good about keeping a level head.

Unfortunately, Remus was not in a great mood this morning and he didn't like how Petunia was talking about Harry. She didn't even say his name, preferring to call him a freak. She talked about how much chores he had to and she had gotten annoyed about buying extra food just to feed him. The nerve!

"-that old man dumped him on our step without even saying anything! He just wrote me a letter and put the kid on our front step in the middle of the night as if we actually wanted him-"

"Look, I know all teenagers can be a little trouble and I think you're exaggerating it a little. But I would really rather not hear about it. Please, can you sign the papers and we will be out of here?" Remus said. He could feel anger boiling inside of him.

Then as if on cue, Vernon walked in. "Dear, I'm going to leave for-" but he stopped when he saw Remus.

"What are you doing here? You're one of his lot aren't you!"

Petunia groaned and said, "He's taking the brat off of our hands, so don't get so worked up about it."

"Worked up! The last time you lot showed up, the entire neighborhood started spreading rumors about us, all because the ungrateful brat couldn't contain his freakishness!"

Dudley looked up from the television and asked, "Wait, he's actually leaving?"

Remus, even with his head in hands said, "Yes, I care about him very much and he will be staying with Sirius and I for the rest of the summer.."

Vernon said, "Who will do the chores? Who's going to mow the lawn all summer!"

"Maybe you could, and maybe that would actually help you lose some weight while you're at it! Now you better stop talking lies about one of the brightest most amazing kids I've met, or I will curse you into tomorrow!" Remus shouted.

Now he had his wand fixed on Vernon and the Dursleys didn't say a word. Vernon looked like he could've wet his pants.

"Don't...you u-use m-m-magic on… me!" he managed.

Remus glared. "I will if I must." Petunia sat down, scared of what that could mean. "Now, all I need from you is to sign these papers saying that you will let Sirius and I be Harry's guardian."

Vernon and Petunia had a short conversation with themselves that Remus didn't even bother to listen to and then they went through all the papers with Remus. His anger had greatly diminished, but he kept his wand out like a weapon.

When they were finally done, Remus exhaled in relief. "Thank you, we will be going now." Remus walked towards the cupboard and unlocked it, revealing all of Harry's stuff. He levitated it towards the door to the horror of the Dursleys as they witnessed magic.

At this point Harry and Sirius were walking down the stairs.

Remus beamed. "Harry," he said.

Harry gave him a huge smile and was welcomed into the man's embrace. "It's so good to see you Professor,"

Remus smiled. "Harry, from now on you can call me Remus or Moony. I'm not your professor anymore."

Harry smiled shyly but nodded. He looked back at the Dursleys and smirked slightly at their terrified faces. "See you next summer then. Not that I will look forward to it." Remus and Sirius shared a glance at Harry's comment but neither said anything.

Remus did a spell and Harry's stuff disappeared with a pop. He said to Harry, "Ready to go?"

"Where exactly are we going?"

Remus smiled knowingly. "Good question. You will spend the rest of the summer at Black Manor. We've already fixed it up and everything, so you will love it there."

Sirius kept looking at his godson, watching his every reaction. He seemed quieter than usual, and it almost looked like he was limping, but Sirius reasoned he was probably being way too overprotective and he needed to just relax.

"How are we getting there?" Harry said.

"Have you ever apparated before Harry?" Sirius asked. When he shook his head, Sirius went on, "Well it's a wizard way to travel far distances in a few seconds. It's a bit uncomfortable your first time, so be prepared, but it's safe if you know what you're doing," Remus said quickly, feeling almost giddy to take Harry to his new home.

Harry raises his eyebrows at that so Remus said, "Don't worry Harry, you'll come with me."

Harry grabbed the arm that Remus was holding on to him and gave one last smile to Sirius before his whole world began to spin. There was a pull on his navel and his stomach turned inside out.

In a whirl of color, Harry's chest was squeezed and his head rocked around. He kept a deathly tight grip on Remus, feeling slightly bad. His whole body felt detached but he could feel the pain in every one of his limbs from his bruises. The pain reliever was beginning to wear off.

It seems to last forever and his vision was darkening from the pain in his chest. Suddenly the ground appeared but he just fell and gasped in a few huge breaths.

Remus had landed and took a deep breath before he noticed Harry on the ground. He was immediately on the ground next to him making sure he was okay.

Harry's face was contorted in pain for a second. "Harry? Are you alright?" Remus said.

Harry coughed, sending shooting pain through his chest. He leaned back and opened his eyes to meet Remus's concerned gaze.

"I'm never doing that again."

Remus helped him stand up shakily as he said, "Sorry, Harry but I didn't think you would be so affected by it. I forgot how jarring it is for your first time and I should've warned you, I'm sorry."

Harry waved him off saying that he was fine. He could feel his pain coming back though and he didn't know how long he would last with his hurt ankle.

There was a pop and Sirius landed a few steps beside them. He beamed when he saw Harry and gave him a big hug, squeezing his chest while he said, "We're finally home." Harry meanwhile winced, but he hid it from Sirius and Remus.

Remus started leading him up to the Manor that Harry could see was roomy but cozy. He knew he could call this place home. He took a few tentative steps but tried to hide his limp.

Remus noticed though and said, "Harry, what's wrong? Are you hurt?"

Harry shook his head. "I'm fine." Sirius looked at his godson.

"Why are you asking Remus?" They started walking to the house.

"Harry, you're limping, let me help you. Why didn't you just say something? I bet you landed funny when we apparated."

Remus had his arm around Harry's shoulders and they led him into the house where Harry sat down on their living room couch.

"Which leg Harry? They both look okay-"

"It's fine, really."

Remus frowned at Harry. "Okay, well part of being a werewolf is having an extreme sense of smell and I can smell pain reliever. Believe me I have had plenty of it and I would recognize that stuff anywhere. I also sense some magic around you but I hope you weren't performing any magic while you were at the Dursley's?"

"Well, not on purpose," Harry said.

This was news to Sirius so he said, "What do you mean, like accidental magic?"

Harry nodded. "But kind of on purpose and I didn't really try to undo it."

Remus looked Harry in the eye. "What did you accidentally do?"

It didn't sound accusing but Remus suspected there was something Harry wasn't telling them and Harry wanted to shrink back from his steady gaze.

"Um... I changed my appearance... Sort of."

"Wait, what? You did accidental magic on purpose? Why?" Remus said bewildered.

"Um, I don't know..." But Sirius and Remus could see straight through the lie.

"Harry you can trust us. Please undo it though, we want to help you," Sirius said now referring to his leg which he knew was hurt.

Harry looked pleasingly between his two new guardians but they just looked expectantly back.

"Please, I really don't want to show you," Harry said so quietly Remus had to rely on how werewolf sense to hear what he had said.

"Harry, show us what?"

Harry closed his eyes and sighed. 'This wasn't supposed to happen,' he thought to himself. He opened his eyes and said, "I... didn't want you to find out, but I guess...its too late." Remus gave him a confused look before glancing at Sirius.

Harry ignored this and closed his eyes, thinking only about the strange feeling he had felt in his room this morning. It returned, and Harry could feel his body slowly revealing every gruesome wound that littered his body.

Harry held his breath and didn't open his eyes yet. Remus's jaw dropped and Sirius inhaled sharply.

Harry opened his eyes and looked between the two men as they stared back at him. He bit his lip and wondered what to do now that they could see everything.

For the second time that day he was completely unsure of what to do and he silently pleaded for some way out of this situation.

Remus took one look at Harry and said to Sirius, "Go get Poppy,"

...

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Hello again! Please send me a review, I love to read them and they help make me a better writer if you give constructive criticism! Thanks and I will post again soon!


	10. Bruises

**Chapter Ten: Bruises**

By: PenDiva

 **DISCLAIMER:** I'm just borrowing the characters and most of the story line from J.K. Rowling, obviously, and I own none of it :-(

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Quick note: this is a short one because I didn't want to drag on with endless chatter about how awful the Dursleys are, because that's boring. Anyway, enjoy chapter ten:

...

 _FROM LAST CHAPTER:_

 _He opened his eyes and said, "I... didn't want you to find out, but I guess...its too late." Remus gave him a confused look before glancing at Sirius._

 _Harry ignored this and closed his eyes again, thinking only about the strange feeling he had felt in his room this morning. It returned, and Harry could feel his body slowly revealing every gruesome bruise and cut that littered his body._

 _Harry held his breath and didn't open his eyes yet. Remus's jaw dropped and Sirius inhaled sharply._

 _Harry opened his eyes and looked between the two men as they stared back at him. He bit his lip and wondered what to do now that they could see everything._

 _For the second time that day he was completely unsure of what to do and he silently pleaded for some way out of this situation._

 _Remus took one look at Harry and said to Sirius, "Go get Poppy,"_

...

Sirius didn't move from where he was kneeling next to the couch. Harry was sitting on the couch, ducking his head and trying to avoid looking at Sirius or Remus. The words Remus had just spoken barely registered in his head.

Sirius faltered to say something, although a thousand questions were forming in his mind right now. "Harry, what- what happened? Who… who did this to you? How can we help you? ...Harry?"

Harry gulped, not wanting to answer the first two questions. All of a sudden his body was swamped in waves of pain because the pain reliever had worn off. Harry sucked in a sharp breath but he tried not to let anything show on his face.

Remus immediately picked up on Harry's discomfort however, and he sat on the couch next to Harry placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Harry? What hurts? Sirius! Go get Poppy, now! Floo Hogwarts!" Remus said frantically.

Sirius stumbled out of the room to get the mediwitch, still in shock.

'I've seen wounds like those before. There is only one way for Harry to get broken ribs, cuts, and bruises on his stomach,' Sirius thought.

Sirius panic we inside. 'This can't have happened. Not to Harry.' Sirius had been abused by his family until he ran away when he was 16 and he couldn't help but think that Harry had been abused too. He ran his hands through his hair as he dashed off to the floo.

Back in the living room, Harry shut his eyes and focused on breathing, trying to shut out some of the pain.

Remus was at a slight loss of what to do. He was more than shocked at Harry's current condition but he was even more startled at Harry's obvious reluctance to tell anyone that he was hurt. His magic had even lashed out to conceal some of his injuries!

Trying not to think about it too much, Remus returned his attention to Harry. Right now he needed to focus on getting him healed and he can ask Harry why he needs healing in the first place later.

"Harry, why don't you lay down. Don't feel like you need to hide your pain anymore, we want to help you get better, please you have to trust me," Remus said, growing concerned at Harry's silence.

Harry looked up at his professor with such a pained expression that took all Remus had not to engulf him in a hug, because he knew it would cause more physical harm to Harry.

Harry's head was throbbing with a stabbing pain. Apparating here had only made it feel worse, and Harry was pretty sure he already had a concussion. Remus saw Harry's face shift and grimace in pain before he started to sway and lean on Remus for support.

"Sorry, I just... it's my head..." Harry mumbled, trying to sit up and not bother Remus.

"Harry you don't need to apologize. Here, lay down, Poppy will be here soon," Remus said softly. Harry obeyed hesitantly, feeling slightly more comfortable laying down on the couch, although the slow movement sent jabs of pain through his body. Remus watched as Harry tensed and then visibly relaxed into the couch. Remus sighed but his heart raced with a nervous anxiety.

Harry was very aware of Remus who was watching every move he made and checking his face constantly for evidence of pain. He hated the scrutiny and wanted nothing more than to hide under a bed. At the same time though, the thought of having someone care about his health was a new kind of comfort to him.

Sirius burst into the room but quickly stepped out of the way for Poppy who flew right to Harry's side.

"How in the world did this happen?" Poppy asked quietly. When she got no response from Harry, she pulled out her wand and cast a diagnostic spell on Harry. Harry felt his body tingle with magic. Poppy patiently waited for the spell to finish before grabbing the scroll that had appeared and quickly scanning its contents. Her eyes widened at the long list of injuries, and she shook her head in wonder and gave Harry a pitied look.

Sirius stood there in a stunned silence, trying to give Poppy some room. When he glanced over and read the list of all the injuries though and saw Poppy shake her head, he stepped up and said, "Well? You can heal him right? Don't just sit there!"

"I can Black, but I needed to know his worst injuries first. Please let me do my job and don't interrupt!" Poppy snapped. Sirius shrunk backwards, feeling bad for yelling at her, but he was still jumpy and frustrated that Harry was hurt.

"Harry, take this mild pain reliever. You won't feel relieved of all pain but it will help. I need you awake to heal some of your injuries," Poppy said as she rummaged through her bag. She found the vial she wanted and helped Harry lean forward a little to drink it. Everybody in the room caught Harry's pained face as he moved his chest.

Harry felt the potion go smoothly down his throat and settle in his empty stomach. The pain he was feeling diminished but didn't disappear, much to Harry's disliking. His stomach churned from having nothing to digest but liquid, but Harry tried to ignore the feeling.

"Harry, as I do this spell I'm going to need you to take a deep breath for me so that I can make sure I align your rib correctly. This is the fastest way to do it with a spell instead of a potion, which would take too long. It will hurt, but I have to do this, okay?" Poppy said.

Harry looked at the Mediwitch and shook his head. After living with a broken rib for a month he knew that taking a deep breath hurt like hell and this pain medication was not very helpful.

"Harry, I know you can do this and I know you will feel much better afterwards. Please, I need to do this now. One of your ribs is broken in two places and the longer it stays that way the greater the chances are for it to puncture your lung which would be an even bigger problem," Poppy said, trying to explain the urgent problem to Harry.

Remus came and knelt next to Harry trying to give him some reassurance and Sirius stood on the other side of the couch.

Harry finally gave a tentative nod. Poppy counted up, and when she reached three Harry started to take a deep breath and Poppy performed her spell as quickly as she could.

Harry shut his eyes from the extreme pain in his chest but he pushed through it until he thought Poppy was done with the spell. He let out some air slowly, with his breath hitching and his whole body shuddering. He was gripping the side of the couch with white knuckles and he was struggling not to cry from the pain.

"Good Harry, that was excellent. That was the worst of it. You have two more broken ribs but for these you don't need to take such big breaths," Poppy said, getting ready to fix the next rib. Harry nodded in understanding with his eyes still shut tight. At this point he had dropped his usual mask that hid what pain he was in.

At a cue from the Mediwitch, he took another big breath and this time couldn't help but groan from the pain. It ended quickly though, and Harry took a few shallow breaths. This was also beginning to hurt his throat he noticed, but he didn't give that much thought.

"Are you sure you can't give him more pain medication?" Remus asked quietly. Poppy sighed and looked sadly at the man kneeling next to her.

"I have a different kind of pain reliever that will make him pass out, especially with the number of injuries he has sustained. I can't give it to him yet because he needs to be conscious while I fix his ribs. Trust me when I'm doing my job. I won't have him in any unnecessary pain," Poppy said quickly.

She moved to fix Harry's next rib as Harry shut his eyes and tensed his whole body. Remus glanced at Sirius who looked miserable after watching Harry in pain.

Harry took another shuddering breath and Poppy fixed his last rib with an eerie click. They both exhaled in relief and Poppy wasted no time in handing him a few other potions, mumbling to herself as she did.

Remus grabbed the bottles and helped Harry sit up enough to drink them. Harry winced when Remus touched some of the cuts on his back, but welcomed the help. Sirius saw Harry's pained look and he tried not to cringe. Memories of his own childhood came flooding back but in his mind he refused to believe that Harry had suffered like this. It pained him to think about.

Harry downed three of the potions with disgusted looks and he noticed that the next one was a dreamless sleep potion, which made him feel drowsy. Poppy finally gave him another bottle of pain reliever.

Harry glanced at Remus for one tired second and then downed the potion. He let the darkness take him, feeling satisfied when the pain he felt had turned into a numbing ache.

Remus watched the potion take effect and let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. 'He's going to be okay,' Remus thought.

Poppy waited until Harry's face relaxed, signaling that the potion had worked and she could now heal him without hurting him.

"Alright, well now that you can see that Harry isn't in anymore pain, I suggest that you clear out of the room and let me do my job," Poppy said, and from the tone of her voice there was no room for disagreement.

Sirius went to leave but stood quietly by the door and chose to watch everything Poppy did. Poppy either didn't notice or didn't care because she didn't say a word. Remus shuffled towards Sirius silently, choosing to stay in the room with Harry too.

Poppy shook her head at their protective attitude, but she smiled knowing they would be the ones taking care of him for the rest of the summer.

Poppy started on Harry's ankle, using spells to minimize the swelling and fix the broken bone. She couldn't give Harry the skele grow on an empty stomach, so she created a magical splint that would stabilize the bone until he could take a potion that would heal it.

Poppy did a few more spells to check on the severity of his concussion and she healed a major cut on his head with another spell. Checking her list of injuries, she realized she hadn't started on any of the gashes on his shoulder and back.

She spelled Harry's shirt off of him, and almost choked. She could've counted every rib and his stomach was shrunken and barely visible. It was astonishing how many bruises covered his torso and added to that were the bruises from his broken ribs.

Trying to focus on the task before her she started murmuring and casting a spell to patch up his shoulder. There were three distinct tears in his skin and one ran deep. She took a mental note to give Harry a muscle reporting potion as she closed each wound.

Sirius couldn't tear his eyes away from Harry. Poppy had just revealed his skinny undernourished body that was covered in bruises. Poppy hadn't even started healing all the bruises, she just moved onto some gruesome looking cuts in Harry's right shoulder and arm.

Remus stared at Poppy as she waved her wand around Harry, healing all of his cuts. His mind was reeling, trying to rationalize how Harry had received these injuries. When Harry mentioned his summers with the Dursley's, Dudley's gang had come up. Harry said they beat him up regularly, and he was outnumbered 5 to 1 most times.

Poppy glanced back at the two men behind her. "Why don't you come over and help me if you're so intent on staying here," Poppy said.

Sirius nodded as if in a trance while Remus hurried to her side and listened to instruction. Together they turned Harry on his side so Poppy could heal his back and Sirius handed her potions and creams that she asked for. Remus looked away as she magically stitched his skin together. There were a lot of cuts, and a few of them looked deep and took Poppy longer to fix.

Poppy moved quickly, applying some salve to help with the bruising before finally rolling Harry back to a comfortable position. She levitated a bandage and sling from her bag and used it to stabilize Harry's arm. Remus backed up letting the Mediwitch do her job.

"Harry has some muscle damage in his shoulder from the cuts, so he should avoid moving this arm at all costs so that his muscles can heal. Just make sure he keep it in the sling," Poppy instructed Remus without stopping her work.

Poppy then used some spells combined with the healing salve to reduce some of the bruises, but Harry would have to keep applying that until they disappeared completely. Lastly, she cast a spell to check his temperature. A few glowing numbers appeared over Harry's head that read 101.8 making Poppy sigh.

"Excuse me, but why does Harry have a fever? Don't tell me he's sick too!" Remus said worriedly.

Poppy leaned back on her heels and said, "I don't think Harry even realized he was sick but yes, he has a small fever. I can't imagine that he has a stomach bug because he doesn't have any food in his stomach but it could be something else. Fevers are usually a healthy thing, meaning that Harry's body is fighting whatever virus he has."

Remus nodded in understanding. Poppy went on to say, "I can give him a fever reducing potion, but it's usually better to let his body fight off whatever he has."

Sirius stared at Harry's bruises and skinny form until Poppy magically put his shirt back on him. Sirius noted that it was a new shirt, not the old one which had blood stains on it.

Poppy turned to face Harry's new guardians. They both had looks of focused concern, and Poppy gave them a small smile. "I would heal more but I don't want to overwhelm his body with healing magic. I will return tomorrow mid afternoon to heal a few more things and load him up with potions and healing magic."

"Yes, that would be fine. Thank you for helping us out Poppy," Remus said sincerely.

Poppy waved off the compliment wanting to focus on her patient. "Harry will recover. None of his injuries were fatal or lasting, and he will be back to normal health in a week or so. Harry should share how he got these injuries though. I suspect Harry hasn't been able to put his trust in many adults and that is very important right now."

Sirius paled. "It was his relatives wasn't it? It was that muggle scum Vernon that HURT MY GODSON WASN'T IT!"

Remus flinched at his loud words and his eyes widened when he realized what Sirius was implying.

Poppy replied, "I just don't want to wake Harry. It's hard to believe sometimes, but you have to understand that we have no official proof and we can't assume anything. If his injuries are because of abuse though, Harry has to trust you enough to tell you about it and you have to be willing to listen, not judge, and help him through it. I think you will help him pull through, but this will be a trying time for you, Harry, and his friends."

Remus nodded, already thinking about what he would say to Harry. "Harry usually says that his cousin beat him up every summer but he brushes it off like it's nothing. How can you be so sure that he will open up? How are you so sure that it is abuse anyway? Should we try to pressure him into telling us?"

"No, I don't think you should pressure him, and I'm almost certain its abuse. I've handled a few abuse cases with students at Hogwarts, and I want go into details but I can't imagine this being anything except abuse. If I recall, you suspected the same thing, didn't you Remus?"

Remus nodded, feeling guilty that he hadn't tried to talk to Harry about it at the end of last year. "We still have to let Harry tell us though? We can't just confront the issue and pressure him into telling us."

"Yes, but the minute he opens up to you, contact me and I can tell you more about what to do," poppy said and she continued to talk to them about a few things regarding Harry's health. Remus absorbed every detail so that he was ready to help Harry. Sirius tried to listen but he couldn't stop thinking about Harry and the horrors that he would have experienced at home.

Poppy left them instructions regarding Harry's healing process, and a few potions that Harry would take at regular intervals. She left the room with an encouraging smile before she flooed back to Hogwarts.

Remus then noticed Sirius's pale face and made him sit down. Sirius immediately put his head in his hands and Remus sat down next to him.

"Hey, Padfoot. We'll get through this. We'll help Harry. He's an amazing kid," Remus said attempting to cheer up Sirius.

Sirius sniffled back a tear and look towards Remus. "We failed him Moony. I failed him! If I hadn't run off like a fool that night and gotten trapped by Peter, Harry wouldn't have gone to the Dursleys at all."

"Sirius, this isn't your fault and you know that. You didn't fail him. You risked your LIFE to be his guardian, and you managed to become a free man. I never could gotten full guardianship of Harry as a werewolf, but you choose to go through that trial so that Harry could have a home. If you hadn't, Harry would still be at the Dursleys right now, suffering and feeling alone."

Sirius choked back a sob at this, saying, "But Harry was suffering and alone for ten years before he went to Hogwarts! He doesn't deserve that, nobody does! I should've been there, I should've-"

"Sirius STOP!" Remus said forcefully. He couldn't let Sirius beat himself up like this. "Sirius, you need to stop thinking about what you SHOULD'VE done. You can't live in regret. That's in the past, and there's nothing you can do to change that. You have the rest of the summer to spend with Harry and every summer after that. You need to be there for Harry now, and in the future. Try to focus on helping Harry instead of moping about the past," Remus said in a huff.

Sirius looked at Remus thinking about everything he had just said. The gut wrenching feeling of guilt was still there, but now Sirius had a hopeful future to look forward to.

"Well thanks Remus. I don't actually know how you managed to cheer me up. If I didn't know I better Remus, I might think you're a Slytherin you word-twisting serpent. I'm serious," he said at Remus's amused expression.

"Yeah, I know you're serious, Sirius!"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Wow, that was very original, Remus. Never heard that one before," he said sarcastically, grinning broadly.

Remus chuckled a little as he said, "I'm glad I could cheer you up. Your foul moods can be worse than mine during a full moon."

"Aw, Remus, but you're so nice for putting up with my foul moods!" Sirius said, not even bothering to deny it.

Remus shrugged. "Yeah, but I don't want Harry to have to worry about them. We need to stay positive for him if we're going to guide him through this recovery. Remember, you're the adult now."

Sirius looked back at Harry, who was unmoving on the couch. His shallow breaths made the small blanket that had been draped on him rise and fall. "Will there be a long recovery? I thought Poppy said he would be healthy in a week."

"Physically, yes. But we don't know the extent of his emotional wounds and those take longer to heal. He has to learn to be able to trust certain adults who care a lot about him. If Poppy's right and he was abused, we have to help him realize that he didn't deserve the punishments he received, and that it is wrong to treat a child the way they did."

Sirius swallowed a lump in his throat. "You care a lot about him," he said after a moment of silence.

Remus nodded slowly. They sat in silence for a while, drained from the morning, so Sirius got up to make some tea. Now alone in the room with Harry, Remus went over to Harry and observed the peaceful expression he had on his face.

"You're safe Harry," he said, while using a gentle hand to comb through the bangs on his forehead. "We'll take care of you now, I promise."

…

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Hello! Please leave me a review, and I will try to post the next chapter soon! If you have never written a story, you have no idea how encouraging even a two word review can be, and it gives me a strong incentive to post the next chapter. Shout out to Scrappy 8 for the consistent positive feedback! It's much appreciated :-)


	11. Troubled Memories

**Chapter Eleven: Troubled Memories**

By: PenDiva

 **DISCLAIMER:** None of the character in this fanfic belong to me, obviously, and much of the plot is derived from the works of J. K. Rowling.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Argh. Life is stressful and I have a busy schedule in the fall because I'm playing two sports. Sorry again that I dropped off the face of the earth for a while! This chapter is focused on my favorite relationship in all of the Harry Potter books... So without further ado - chapter eleven!

...

Harry slowly awoke, groggily becoming more aware of his body. He took a tentatively deep breath and noticed that it didn't aggravate his chest with the broken ribs. He wasn't in a lot of pain for once, and he was actually feeling comfortable in his bed.

'No wait, it's not a bed. I'm on a couch,' Harry thought to himself. Harry opened his eyes, blinking away sleep. He felt warm in the blanket that was tucked in around him and he became suddenly aware of his blurry surroundings.

Harry took in another deep breath as he thought about the fact that he wasn't at the Dursley's anymore. He looked down at his body and saw that many of the bruises were fading, his ankle wasn't swollen, but his arm was in a sling. He remembered Vernon slashing him with a knife, and Harry recalled that his shoulder always hurt to move if he hadn't had any pain reliever yet. Then he thought about Vernon again.

 _"Remember our little deal, BOY! One word of this to anyone and I will come find you and kill you myself," Vernon had said._

Harry heard that threat too many times to count and had it ingrained in his memory. Everytime he had thought about telling someone what the Dursley's would do to him, he pictured Vernon spitting in his face, threatening to murder him. Fear would overtake any thoughts of admitting what he had to endure with the Dursleys. Realistically, the Dursley's would never know if he had told someone, but Harry had nightmares about what would happen if he did tell someone and Vernon found out.

He glanced around and saw someone sleeping on an armchair across the room. He tried to say Sirius's name, but instead a harsh sounding cough came out of his throat so he sat up with his left arm and tried to catch a breath.

Sirius woke up the minute he heard a cough and he looked at Harry sitting up on the couch. Sirius went over to help him, cursing himself for falling asleep.

"Hey, s'that you Sirius?" Harry said.

Sirius ruffled his hair a bit as he handed him his glasses. "You're just as blind as James was without his glasses."

Harry smiled at the thought. His throat still felt raw though, so he asked Sirius for some water.

"Oh, sure thing Harry!" Sirius left the room and Harry watched his retreating form. He had never had someone actually excited to care for him and it was a comforting change.

Sirius came back in the room with a glass of water and Remus right behind him. Harry leaned against some pillows and drank a greedy amount of water, thankful for the cool liquid against his throat.

"How are you feeling Harry?" Remus asked.

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "Better, I guess."

Remus waited another second for a more elaborate response from Harry but Harry just stared at Remus. "Well that's good to hear. Poppy gave me some potions that you can take depending on how you're feeling."

Harry nodded but stayed silent, tired and not knowing how to react to everything that was happening. Sirius glanced at Remus who just smiled awkwardly and started going through the bottles the medi-witch had left.

"Here, she wants you take some skele gro for your ribs and your ankle, and this is for your concussion -"

Harry narrowed his eyes. "I have a concussion?"

Remus said, "Yes, a mild one so you'll have to take it easy for a while."

Harry nodded in understanding and looked down into the glass of skele gro. He remembered the distasteful potion from his second year and he wrinkled his nose at the smell. After a few seconds, he downed the whole thing. When the glass was empty he choked a little but managed to keep it down.

"Always hated that one," Harry remarked. He stuck his tongue out making another face. Sirius smirked, knowing full well how terrible it tasted. Harry drank the other potion for his head and had another sip of water.

Remus knelt down to look intently at Harry. "Poppy is going to come back pretty soon but she wants you to eat something before she, and I quote, 'loads you up with more potions and healing magic.' She said you may not feel up to eating because you had a fever, but maybe you could handle some soup? What do you think?"

Harry shrugged and smiled weakly at Remus. "I don't really feel like eating. I don't feel sick… I'm just not hungry, I guess," he half-lied. The potions were not sitting well in his empty stomach and eating something was the last thing he wanted to do.

"Alright, well I will make some soup and you can give it a try," Remus said and left the room.

Sirius sat down on the couch next to Harry who had pulled his legs into his chest, abandoning the blanket that was making him hot Sirius wanted to talk to Harry but now that he had the opportunity he didn't know what to say. He looked at his Godson, but Harry was staring at the floor, zoned out.

"Do you have a headache at all?" Harry shook his head. "That's good…" Sirius said. He swallowed and tapped his fingers against his leg. He was itching to ask Harry how he had gotten his injuries and confirm his suspicions, but intimidating Harry into admitting it wasn't the way to go. Sirius recalled that it had taken him a few months to openly admit that he had been abused.

Harry glanced around at the clock hanging on the opposite wall. "It's only 2:30? Why is Poppy coming back so soon? I only got here a few hours ago," Harry said quietly.

"Actually, you've been asleep for over a day. You got here yesterday. Remus was getting worried a few hours ago, but I told him it was normal… I think. Poppy explained something about how that pain reliever potion would put you to sleep based on how much pain you were in..." Sirius trailed off.

Harry rested his chin on his knees, feeling relaxed. Sirius looked at him and tried to awkwardly speak what was on his mind. "Well Harry, I was thinking. How did you manage to hide this from us when we were at the Dursley's?" Harry cringed as he realized the impact of that statement. Now Sirius thinks Harry doesn't trust him because he tried to hide his injuries. Sirius continued, "When we came to get you, you were barely limping, even with a broken ankle, and broken ribs. I pretty sure either Remus or I gave you a hug, but you never showed any sign that you had all these injuries."

Harry took in a breath before he started, although he didn't look Sirius in the eye. "Well, I had a bottle of pain reliever, and I had been taking it in small sips." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the pain reliever, stirring up the few drops that were still in it.

Sirius's eyebrows shot up, making Harry glance back down at the floor. "Harry, how did you come across of bottle of pain reliever?"

"Um, it was actually a stroke of luck that I did. I had borrowed, ok well maybe not borrowed. I stole some muggle pain reliever from the Dursleys for the first few weeks, but then I went to Mrs. Figg's house a week ago and she gave me some wizarding pain reliever."

Sirius nodded, trying to digest all this information. 'At least he wasn't in a ton of pain,' Sirius thought. He couldn't help but wonder why Harry hadn't told him that he was hurt. Harry found a way to send him a letter, so he could've sent him another one that said he was hurt. Why didn't he? "Harry you know you can trust me right?" Sirius said, trying to throw it out there.

Harry's pulse sped up. He was nervous about what Sirius was trying to learn through this conversation. "Yeah, I know Sirius." Harry gave his Godfather a smile, hoping to assure him so that he stopped asking questions.

Sirius frowned. Harry obviously wasn't jumping at the opportunity to tell Sirius about how he had gotten the injuries. What was holding him back? Sirius had always been embarrassed about his home life, and he didn't want people to think any less of him. Is that why Harry won't open up? 'Surely Harry knows that he can trust me,' Sirius thought.

"Harry how did you get these injuries?" Sirius said rather abruptly.

Harry looked at Sirius's tense expression. 'Why'd he have to ask! I don't want to lie to him!' Harry thought desperately. A few quick lies were on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't bring himself to be so dishonest to someone who had risked so much to be his guardian. Harry felt like he at least owed him some honesty.

He hesitated though as he thought about Vernon's reaction if he found out Harry had told. How far would he go to find Harry and kill him once and for all like he always threatened? What if Sirius tried to threaten the Dursley's into treating him better and Vernon figured out that Harry let something slip?!

Harry felt like he was digging himself into an increasingly deep hole. His whole conscious was conflicted and trapped, and he was overwhelmed about what to do.

"Harry?" Sirius asked softly, surprised at the gentle tone of his own voice. Harry looked up finally, trying not to show how trapped he felt.

"It doesn't really matter Sirius," Harry, said voice shaking.

"No, Harry, it does matter. You can't tell me this was an accident, someone was deliberately hurting you. It's nothing to be ashamed of Harry," Sirius said, "and I don't think any less of you. Please you have to trust me. I'm only trying to help you."

Harry felt a painful stab of guilt at his heartfelt words. 'How much does he know?' thought Harry. Harry had always feared that everyone would think less of him if he told them he couldn't stand up to a muggle and his home life sucked. Sometimes Harry could almost hear people making fun of 'The-Boy-Who-Lived' for being treated like a house elf by a few of overweight muggles.

Sirius however had just said that he wants to help Harry and won't think any less of him. Harry was surprised at how much those words subsided his fears and it left him wondering how Sirius knew exactly what to say.

Harry formed his next sentence carefully as he recalled Vernon's indefatigable threats in his head.

"I know you're trying to help me Sirius, and I do trust you. I just... I can't... I can't tell you," Harry said, the last part of the sentence barely a whisper.

Sirius blinked away his look of surprise. Harry can't tell him? "I don't understand," Sirius managed.

Harry closed his eyes and tried to keep away the tears that threatened to fall. Would Vernon hurt Sirius because Harry told him? Harry swallowed, ignoring his dry throat.

"M' sorry,' Harry said.

Sirius reached out a hand to comfort Harry, wanting nothing more to wrap his Godson in a hug. Harry, with his eyes closed was not expecting Sirius to try comfort him and he flinched back from the touch. His eyes flew open and he nearly fell off the couch because he was so startled.

Sirius jumped back in surprise, not anticipating Harry's reaction at all. Harry had a look of terror on his face for a split second before he frowned, wrapped his uninjured arm around his legs and started to apologize.

"Sorry Sirius! 'M sorry, I just - I didn't realize-"

"There's nothing to apologize for, I didn't mean to scare you like that," Sirius said.

Harry shrugged as if accepting the apology.

"Harry-"

Harry didn't want to hear Sirius ask that question again and jumped in bitterly. "Why does it matter how I got hurt? Why do you want to know? I already told you, it doesn't matter anyhow," Harry blurted out.

Sirius stared at Harry. "Why does it matter?" Harry cringed at his words and Sirius immediately made his tone more gentle. "It matter because I care about you! It matters because if someone is hurting you, I want to put a stop to it! I want to know so that I can stop this from happening in the future. I'm your official guardian now, and it's my responsibility to take care of you. Even if it wasn't though, I would still want to prevent this from happening, and in order to do that I need to know how you got those injuries," Sirius concluding, letting out a big breath. "Harry, I think it would be good for you too. Hiding it from the people who care about you is not the answer," Sirius said, feeling bad as he thought about how he was guilting Harry into talking to him.

Harry gave a frustrated sigh, knowing he should've given up trying to hide this long ago. With his eyes watering, Harry shook his head, "Please, I can't... I would tell you... I.. it's just that-" Harry tried hard to stifle his sob.

Sirius didn't stop himself this time. He scooted over on the couch, wrapped his arms around Harry and pulled him close to his chest. Harry put his legs down and let himself be hugged, feeling safe with Sirius. Harry silently cried, his chest shaking with sobs every once in awhile. Sirius rubbed his back, trying to avoid parts that had bruises or cuts.

"Shh... It's okay, we don't have to talk about it right now if that's best. I don't know what's holding you back from telling me, but I'm here for you whenever you need me," Sirius said.

Harry closed his eyes and cried. He tried to wipe at his face with his good arm, but the tears just kept coming. He felt awful for not telling Sirius, like he was betraying his trust. Sirius had sacrificed so much to be able to be his guardian. But who would even want to take care of him anyway? Deep down though, he knew what Sirius was saying was true. Harry hiccupped, trying to lessen his sobs. 'I'm acting like such a baby,' Harry thought. He tried to pull away but Sirius held him close.

Sirius felt Harry relax into his grip after he had tried to pull away from him. 'What is he afraid of?' Sirius kept thinking. 'What did those muggles do to Harry?' He tried not to think about what the Dursley's must have done to him, because he knew how angry and worked up he would become.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, both wrapped in their own thoughts. They didn't even notice as Remus peeked in the room holding Harry's soup. He didn't want to intrude on what they were doing, so he set the soup on the table right beside the doorway.

Remus looked at them and smiled. He felt a twinge of jealously that Sirius was already so close with Harry but he reasoned with himself that he had spent lots of time with Harry thought out the school year, and it was more important that Harry got what he needed. He tiptoed silently away, with a content from on his face.

Sirius heard Harry sniffle, and he noted how few and far between his sobs were becoming. Sirius stopped rubbing his back and placed a hand purposefully on Harry's good shoulder and looked him in the eye. Harry felt so cold all of a sudden, being apart from Sirius's embrace. He glanced up into his Godfather's intentional gaze that intimidated and unnerved him. He looked away.

"Harry," Sirius said calmly. Harry dragged his eyes up back to meet him, afraid of what he would see.

The only thing Harry saw was love. Sirius was half smiling and looking at Harry like he was the only thing that mattered, and Harry could see how much Sirius cared about him.

Now he looked down because he was ashamed. Sirius cared so much for him and Harry can't even work up the nerve to tell him how the Dursley's treated him.

"Sirius I… I can't tell you… where I got these injuries, because… my uncle said he would kill me if I did," Harry said shakily.

Unseen by Harry, Sirius's eyes darkened for just a second as his anger and hatred for the Dursleys grew. Looking back at Harry however, Sirius shook away his thoughts of vengeance.

"Harry, I will make sure that never happens. I would never let anyone hurt you if there is something I can do to stop it. Your uncle should have never threatened you," Harry shivered slightly but Sirius continued. "I'm not going to force you to say anything Harry, but I want to make sure this never happens again,"

Harry mumbled something, looking down the whole time. Sirius smiled and said, "If you're saying something, you'll need to speak up."

Harry sniffed and said more clearly, "I...I'm afraid that he might..." Harry paused. "get mad...and hurt you."

Harry looked up. "He already threatened to kill me, and I don't want you to get hurt."

Sirius looked him fiercely back. "That is never going to happen. Any muggle against me and I win, every time." Harry's lip twitched upward in a halfhearted smile. Siriu said, "Why do you think he would hurt me?"

Harry didn't answer. "Harry, has your uncle ever... hurt you?"

Harry tensed and swallowed, heart beating out of his chest. Every fiber in his body wanted him to run away and get out of the situation but he kept going back to how good it felt to be in the arms of someone who cared about him. And here Sirius was, completely ready to let Harry trust him and tell him whatever he wants.

Harry slowly nodded, not willing to hide it anymore. He licked his lips and started to speak before Sirius could.

He rambled on trying to make sense of everything he felt and had bottled up inside him, "I didn't really think it was a big deal for a while. I had alway thought it was my fault, but I saw that other kids in primary school lived differently. And he never hurt Dudley. Usually he got mad when I did magic, accidentally, and... well I thought if I tried harder to be normal than he might... I don't know, treat me like family or something," Harry said, feeling lost in his own words, tears threatening to fall from his eyes.

Sirius sat there hating the brokenness in Harry's voice. His own heart felt ripped in two, as he listened. Harry paused and didn't know what to say so Sirius said, "Harry have you ever told anyone about this before?"

"Well I tried to, but it never worked... And Vernon would always... get even more mad... if I told someone. So I stopped trying."

Sirius nodded. "And that's why you didn't want to tell me?"

Harry shrugged and said quietly, "I mean, would you want to tell anyone that you can barely get enough meals to survive in your own home? Would you honestly want to tell someone that in your own home you were treated like a house elf and punished like one?" Tears sprung into his eyes and his face looked pained and confused.

Sirius thought for a second. "No Harry. I was like you and I didn't tell anyone for a long time. And I regret that."

Harry looked at Sirius confused. "What are you talking about? What didn't you tell anyone about?" Harry asked.

"My home life." Harry's eyes grew bigger. Sirius frowned. "I thought I had to deal with everything alone. I thought that if I smiled and joked around and pretended my life was fine, then things at home would get better. Well, they didn't."

Harry's eyes were glued to Sirius's face which was a mix of heavy emotions. Sirius looked out at the wall as he recalled the first sixteen years of his life.

"My family was obsessed with Dark Magic and they supported Voldemort in the war. Most of them became death eaters, even my brother. Naturally, they were all Slytherins. I was always an outcast in my family and they punished us firmly but nothing totally out of the ordinary." Sirius glanced at Harry who was now looking down at his lap as he absorbed this new information.

"But when I got sorted into Gryffindor, my mother said I was a disgrace to the family name and stopped treating me like a son. She hated me by the time I was 12. She would leave me with my cousin Bellatrix at times, who used the cruciatus curse as a punishment. At home, I had more chores than my siblings and my mother hit me repeatedly if I did something wrong, which was a lot. I hated the lot of them. They believed in the purification of the modern world, and blood purity, something I never understood. My father wanted to throw me out of the house when he heard about how I befriended muggle wizards."

Sirius wore a disgusted face as he continued, occasionally glancing at his godson sitting next to him. "I was embarrassed to call them family actually. They would call my friends that awful word, 'mudblood' and try to curse me if I stood up for them. I got very good at dodging cutting curses and being on my toes for the unsuspecting unforgivable. I finally ran away when I was 16, and I didn't tell anyone about it until I was at least 17. My friends sort of knew I wasn't happy at home, but they never asked too many questions."

"Where did you go?" Harry asked.

Sirius smiled as he said, "I was always welcome at the Potter house, and your dad was the first person I told. We were very close friends at that point." Sirius paused and didn't notice the awkward silence that followed. He continued with, "I had let all of my emotions about my family build up, and I would get terrible mood swings. I had frequent nightmares, but for a year I never told James or his parents. I wish they would've pushed me to tell them because as soon as I told your father, I can't tell you how safe I felt to finally tell someone about all the pain I had been through for the last six or seven years."

"I would talk to him about my nightmares, and he would not judge me whenever I talked to him. I told Remus too, and they were all very helpful for me to get past it, and I wish I had told them sooner. Harry, I don't want you to go through what I did. I felt so alone that first of living with the Potters, and I felt like nobody really loved me, which was so far from the truth."

Sirius reached out and lightly gripped Harry's good trouble. "Do you understand? I'm not worried about Vernon-" Harry flinched. "-I'm not worried about your uncle hurting me, and I promise that I will never let your uncle lay a hand on you as long as I'm still on this earth. You can tell me anything."

Harry digested that. There was no missing the sincerity and determination in Sirius's voice. He wasn't alone, and Sirius was going to make sure his uncle wouldn't hurt him.

Harry let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. "Okay."

Sirius took his hand off of his shoulder. Sensing his hesitation he said, "I'll make it easier and ask some questions." After an affirmative nod from Harry, "So when did the Dursleys start not feeding you meals, and when did Vernon start hurting you?"

Harry's eyebrows came together. "What do you mean when did it start?" When Sirius said nothing at first, Harry said, "I can't remember a time when the Dursleys didn't treat me like crap. At the time I thought it was normal. He would call my freak, and I thought it was my fault, that I actually was a freak. I thought there was nothing I could do to change it."

"Eventually I figured out that nobody else was treated the way I was. I still didn't think it was that big of a deal, so I never said anything. I thought that in a way I deserved my punishments. Vernon was always blaming me for something, so it kind of made sense. Then I saw what Ron's family was like, and…" his voice cracked as a tear ran down his face. Sirius took the pause as an opportunity to give him another hug, which Harry melted into. Then he pulled away so he could keep talking.

Harry thought back to some of his earliest memories. "He would hurt me the most when I did accidental magic. One time I turned my teacher's wig blue, and Vernon was mad that I had used my 'freakishness' in public, so he hurt me and I actually think he broke my arm and I didn't go to school for a week or two after that. I think another particularly bad time I shrunk Dudley's jumper as he was putting it on and I made him late for something when he got stuck in it. I laughed at him, jumping around in tight clothes so Vernon took me in my room to 'teach me a lesson' and beat all of the 'freakishness' out of me or whatever. I just remember waking up with a bad headache, bruises, and a broken pair of glasses and I was locked in my room for a few days." Harry didn't look up as he was saying all of this, ashamed of everything that had happened in the past.

"Another time, a few years before I came to Hogwarts, I was running from Dudley and I was really scared because he had his whole gang with him so I thought about being anywhere but there and next thing I know I was on the roof of the school. Well that didn't go over too well with the Dursleys and Vernon was drunk that day. I think I tried to run away from him and broke my ankle falling down the stairs. Then he dragged me back upstairs and hit me... I think that was one of the worst times."

"Whenever I did magic they would call me a freak, and they would call accidental magic my freakishness or whatever. I thought there was something wrong with me, I thought it was my fault. Now that I think think about it they rarely ever called me Harry. It was either 'freak' or 'boy'.

Harry hugged his knees as he continued explaining, too afraid to stop. He was surprised at how easily words flowed from his mouth, articulating his entire life before coming to Hogwarts. Harry talked in length about how lonely he felt, how the Dursleys never told him about his parents or about magic, how they would turn a blind eye when Dudley's goons would gain up on him, how everyone in school avoided him, being starved when he did something wrong, and how he had a painful amount of chores and cleaning to do everyday. Sirius listened quietly through it all interjecting a few questions but overall trying to absorb the information. He could feel his anger boiling inside him, so he fought to keep a calm front for Harry. In his mind, he promised to get revenge on the Dursley's later, but right now Harry needed him. His Godson needed him.

"...so you can imagine how surprised I was when Hagrid came to tell me that magic was real and I was a wizard. I was so happy to go to Hogwarts and finally get away from the Dursleys. I think they were mad that they had lost their personal slave for a year, so when I got back, they made my life hell that summer. I barely got enough food to eat and they gave me a twice as many chores than usual. I also wasn't allowed to do any of my school work because it was 'magic' and they hate magic. I don't know if I would've made it that summer if the Weasley's hadn't come. They never suspected that the Dursleys would starve me or hurt me that bad, but they got the jist that the Dursley's hated me."

Harry glanced up at Sirius and noticed a faraway sour look on his face. "Sirius?" Harry said.

Sirius shook himself from the anger that threatened to overwhelm him as he listened to the horrors of Harry's childhood. He locked eyes with Harry. "You will never go back there. Do you understand me? Nobody should ever treat you like that."

Harry's eyes widened and he nodded slowly. There was a very serious angry tone in Sirius's voice which reminded him of his uncle and Harry hated the fact that Sirius was angry on his behalf. A part of his mind knew that Sirius was angry at the Dursleys, but that did little to cause his anxious nerves.

Sirius relaxed suddenly and sighed, looking away. "I'm sorry that I'm letting myself get angry Harry," Sirius said. He turned back to Harry. "You do know that everything they did was wrong. Parents do not starve children, or bruise them, or tell them that they are freaks. Kids don't get broken bones because someone at home hit them really hard, and wizarding kids don't get punished for doing accidental magic" Sirius said.

Harry was staring straight down into his lap. Of course he knew that. So then why did the Dursleys treat him like that?

Sirius suddenly had a disturbing thought. He took a deep breath in and thought about how he should ask this.

"Harry I need you to tell me the truth for this next question, and please know that I won't think any less of you no matter what you say." Harry looked up, confused. "Did your uncle ever... sexually assault you?"

Harry's jaw dropped. "What? Ew! Merlin no, Sirius how could you even think about something like that? God, thanks for putting that picture in my head." Harry had such a disgusted look that Sirius chuckled a little.

"Hey, why are you laughing? This isn't funny!" Harry said smiling.

"No it isn't, but your face, when I said..." he laughed again, "oh, it was priceless Harry."

Harry rolled his eyes but it felt good to smile and laugh for a change. Sirius glanced at Harry and was reassured by the bright smile he wore.

"Other people have done some terrible things to their kids, and I needed to make sure. Trust me I'm very glad he didn't."

Harry stretched out his legs during the awkward silence that followed relieving the pressure on his arm that was in a sling. Sirius shuffled over to give him more room, catching a glimpse at his cast and remembering how this discussion began.

"Well now that we are both in a chatty mood, do you think you can tell me exactly how you got these injuries?"

Harry shrugged. "I guess. I think I broke it a few weeks ago." He could recall that night vividly, but the actual moment when he broke his ankle was fuzzy. "I was having a nightmare that woke up my uncle but I must've done some kind of accidental magic while I was sleeping and Vernon came in really angry and he... kicked me," Harry's voice choked a little, "and he might've broken a rib and I think he kicked my ankle and stepped on it which I think made him stop because he didn't want me to be unable to do chores but I don't remember it that well because I think I hit my head when he slammed it against the wall," Harry finally paused, and took in a shaky breath. He had been rambling, and inside his heart was beating frantically. Admitting this was harder than he thought.

Sirius was silent. He hated to think about what the last four weeks had been like for Harry. He had wanted to send letters, or check on him early but he hasn't done anything because Harry had told him not too. 'His uncle probably would've gotten mad and punished Harry if I had come over,' Sirius thought to himself.

Harry finally looked up to see his Godfather deep in thought. Sirius blinked away his thoughts and looked back at Harry. "I'm so sorry Harry. You should have never gone there in the first place. What the Dursleys did to you was wrong, and I was blind to it. You deserve so much more," Sirius said quickly.

Harry shook his head. "It's not your fault Sirius! There was nothing you could do, and I don't want you to feel guilty. Please, I don't want to make a huge deal about anything."

Harry's eyes looked pleadingly at Sirius, effectively quelling Sirius's urge to grab Harry and shake him. Sirius felt more guilt than ever in this moment, and he wasn't sure if he could ever forgive himself. "I wanted to check on him! Why didn't I listen to my gut?" Sirius thought. Then Harry had said it isn't a big deal, which is so far from the truth.

"Harry, don't belittle what happened. It is a very big deal when adults hurt children, and something should've been done sooner. I care about you Harry," Sirius said making Harry look down, "So I do feel guilty that I wasn't able to get you away from there sooner. Don't worry 'bout me, It's my job to worry about you."

Harry shrugged. Figuring that he might as well tell Sirius now, Harry said, "There were a few other times this summer, like last night. I broke a China dish again with accidental magic and Vernon, wasn't too happy…"

"Harry, don't be embarrassed, you can tell me anything," Sirius grasped his arm to comfort him.

Harry smiled and his breath hitched. "Thanks… um, well he kind of just hit me and kicked me… and choked me actually, although it's kind of hard to remember and get it all straight," Harry said staring at Sirius's chest, not willing to look into the kind eyes that were staring intently at him.

Sirius listened intently, hating the hurt look he saw in Harry's eyes when they glanced up.

"...I had to a lot chores like always, mowing, cooking cleaning, vacuuming, weeding, basically anything Petunia said to do. They rarely let me have three meals a day. Dudley stayed out of my way for the most part, although some time his gang would try to… chase me or beat me up, but I can usually run away from them."

As Harry continued to explain everything that had happened, Sirius sat there stunned. Harry had seen more horrors than most adults. 'And I thought I had a rough childhood,' Sirius thought. He silently vowed to be there for Harry whenever he needed it, and to make up for all the things Harry missed out on.

Sirius tried to ask some more questions to get Harry to talk about some of his childhood and before long Harry had told him everything about his childhood, the loneliness he felt before he came to Hogwarts, being starved sometimes as a kid, sleeping in the cupboard, and doing an unhealthy amount of chores. The words stumbled out, unceasing, making Sirius feel even more heartbroken and guilty.

At some point Sirius moved off the couch and let Harry lay down. Sirius noted that Harry kept one arm protectively around his stomach and chest while he laid there, and Sirius could only wonder where that habit had started.

When Harry had finished talking, it was almost time for Poppy to come back and finish her healing process. Sirius tried to subdue his own flaring emotions and keep the mood light and keep Harry in a chatty mood but their previous conversation had left him feeling drained. Sirius gave up when Harry started giving him one word responses, so Sirius was content to just sit on the floor beside him and wait for Poppy.

Harry stared at the ceiling, reliving the last hour or so. Talking so much about his relatives had brought up bad memories from his childhood, things that he had tried to forget about. Explaining his current injuries wasn't easy either, because those memories were fresh and vivid in his mind.

Harry noticed Sirius go quite. He felt slightly bad that Sirius was sitting with him instead of doing other stuff but Harry didn't want him to leave. He had just admitted his biggest secret and his thoughts and emotions were all over the place right now.

The one that he kept coming back to was Sirius.

Sirius Black, the man he thought was a murder just three months ago is now the one person he feels like he can trust and talk too. He didn't feel as ashamed because he knew Sirius had gone through something similar when he was little. 'I can trust him,' Harry thought. He smiled just thinking about it.

Sirius glanced at Harry and was surprised to see him smiling. Little did he know how much Harry depends on him, and how important it would be to never break his trust.

…

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** So it was a bit fluffier and emotionally heavy then what I had planned, but I think it's good enough. I will try to stay on top of updating so keep your eyes open for the next chapter :-)


	12. The Unofficial Remedy

**Chapter Twelve: The Unofficial Remedy**

By: PenDiva

 **DISCLAIMER:** Yada, yada, I own nothing and it all belongs to the author of Harry Potter, so kudos to you J. K. Rowlinh.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** So um… I don't even have an excuse for being so unbelievably late… sorry about that! I do hope to get ahead during the rest of Christmas Break! Sorry again for the wait and I hope you still remember my story and enjoy the most recent installment!

...

Sirius leaned against the counter running his hand through his hair. Harry had fallen asleep on the couch a few hours ago, but he had stalled talking to Remus until now. He had already been lightly scolded for not making sure Harry ate all of his soup, and now Remus had dragged him away from Harry to talk.

"Remus, I don't know if it's right to tell you everything Harry said. Harry confided in me, I don't know why, but he feels like he can trust me, I happened to be there at that moment, and I just want to be there for him and help him with whatever he needs," Sirius said.

His friend nodded solemnly. "Well, I think it's safe to assume that there was… I don't know if I want to go so far to say abuse, but mistreatment…? that was going on in Harry's life with the Dursleys."

Sirius raised his eyebrows as his only response.

"I just didn't want to jump to conclusions and assume the Dursley's had inflicted all the injuries. Maybe he was bullied by kids in his neighborhood?"

Sirius just kept looking at him.

Keeping consistent to his scholarly tone, Remus continues, "Well, it never seemed like he was really happy there."

Sirius smirked slightly. "Sure. That's one way to put it."

Remus narrowed his eyes at his friend. "Sirius-"

"Oh, Remus are you really so naive? You really think that's it? You think Harry was UNHAPPY?"

"Hey don't raise your voice-" Remus tried to chide in.

"Oh, I can bloody well RAISE MY VOICE!" Sirius's voice shook with intensity and a fierce temper. "Remus, if only you could've heard how heartbroken Harry was! How scared he was! Merlin, you don't know the half of it! God, he slept in a broom cupboard for the first eleven years of his life! I'd call that it a little bit more than UNHAPPY!"

Remus's jaw dropped and his eyes stared straight. He wanted to deny what he was hearing but the gut wrenching cry that Sirius had just made told him that it was the truth. _Harry had been abused. This entire time, and I had been blind to it. I had failed him._ Thoughts swirled in his head and his chest was drowning in a sense of dread and guilt. He took a step backward and shook his head. "Sirius… I didn't want believe it… You can't mean this whole time…"

Suddenly Sirius's whole demeanor changed and he sat down hard in the chair in front of. His head hung in his hands and his silent sobs wracked his shoulders. A number of seconds later Remus snapped out of his shock and blinked his eyes. He looked back at his friend and frowned. _What do I do in a situation like this?_

He walked slowly next to him and after hearing a third sniffled put a hand on Sirius's back and tried to just give him some comfort.

They stayed like this for a few awkward minutes while Sirius emptied his tears, although neither man considered it awkward. They were best friends, and this is what they did. They were there for each other during the hard times.

Sirius finally said in a broken-hearted tone, "Remus, what are we going to do?" Remus waited to respond. Sirius's long hair covered his face and muffled his words, but Remus didn't struggle to hear what he was saying.

"I feel like I failed James. I am his _godfather_. But look at what I've done so far. I've been in jail, I haven't been there for him, I absolutely failed Harry and one of my best friends-" Sirius sobbed.

Remus bent down at eye level and cause Sirius to look up. "Sirius, you have to try not to live in the past. You made one mistake, ONE mistake, and you got screwed over for it. I'm going to say you were unlucky because you were. I know how much you care about Harry and I'm sure he sees it too," Remus said.

Sirius shrugged slightly, and said, "I should've been there for him Remus. I owe him so much…"

Remus didn't know whether to correct or confirm that so he chose to say, "So you need to do everything you can NOW and be there for him. He needs you now more than ever, so help him now and don't sulk around in one mistake that you made thirteen years ago."

Sirius nodded numbly, glad to have such a wise friend. He chuckled sadly and said, "I don't sulk."

Remus smiled as he argued back, saying, "Ah, I've seen you in some very sulky moods…"

"You're one to talk, _Moony_ ," Sirius said critically referencing a few rough times Remus has had around the full moon.

Remus's smile slowly shrank. "What-"

"I'm serious."

Remus raised an eyebrows, not knowing at all how to take Sirius's constantly changing mood and attitude.

"No, really, I am Sirius," he said cracking a smile and laughing quietly behind his hand that had come up to cover his face.

"Unbelievable," Remus said with a returning grin.

Sirius threw his hair back and sighed, still letting out a few warm laughs. "Sorry, I don't know where that came from but I couldn't help it."

Remus smiled and sat down in the chair next to him. His mind thought back to the start of their conversation and the question that was still nagging at his thoughts. _What really had happened at the Dursley's?_ Remus felt bad that he was so curious about what had gone on at the Dursley's, but he figured he would find out eventually and Harry doesn't need to revisit that topic again after having just related everything to Sirius.

They say quietly without saying a word for a minute or two.

"So how is he doing? Poppy didn't say much as she left," Remus said.

"He's doing better…Most of his bruises are fading or gone. He took some potions from Poppy to help his head and bones to heal...I think he's doing a lot better mentally. He was really opening up to me once he finally admitted that the Dursley's mistreated him," Sirius said staring straight at a chair across the table from him to avoid Remus's intent gaze. Sirius sighed, "I know you want me to tell you everything Harry said-"

"I've thought about it just now and I don't think either you or Harry need to relive any of that right now. You can tell me later when you're ready. Honestly I'm just glad Harry was able to talk to someone even if it's not me."

Sirius locked eyes with Remus and was surprised at the sincerity and was thankful that Remus was so thoughtful to Harry. They both smiled and were content with the silent understanding they had just come to.

Then Sirius had a sudden thought that startled him. "Wait, wasn't Dumbledore the one who gave Harry to the Dursleys as a baby?"

Remus glanced at Sirius briefly before sighing and saying, "Yeah… he uh, he did."

Sirius stood up from his chair.

Remus quickly added, "But he couldn't have known, he would've never sent Harry to his relatives if he had thought they would mistreat him."

"Well it went on for thirteen years Remus and the old man never knew and never did a thing about it," Sirius said with a rising temper.

"Nobody knew Sirius. He kept it from his friends too. He hid it well, and I only ever had suspicions," Remus said.

"Well now I need to talk to him.

"To Harry?"

"Dumbledore," Sirius said.

Remus opened his mouth to say something but Sirius said, "I want to ask that man how he would feel sleeping in a cupboard."

"Hold on Sirius, you can't talk to him right now," Remus said while he stood up.

Sirius turned to face him. "And why not?"

"Because he's in France right now, on some kind of a business trip concerning this coming school year. He mentioned that he would be away this week in a letter. Nothing to worry about, but you'll have to wait until he gets back if you want to talk to him about Harry."

Sirius scoffed although he wasn't mad at Remus. "Oh really? He's off dawdling in France? Well tell him I'm in bloody Scotland and visiting Greece while I'm at it!"

Remus was slightly shocked at his sarcasm and almost wanted to laugh.

Sirius ran his hands through his hair, a routine gesture of his, and looked around, looking totally unsure of himself. "I'm sorry," he gave a breathy laugh, "again. I'm all over the place right now, and I can't get my feelings straight. I didn't mean to get mad but I feel like I could start balling at any second but I'm also angry and mad and yet I'm still laughing and joking along with you," Sirius finished.

"Yeah, that pretty much sums up the last twenty minutes," Remus said frankly.

"Shut up," Sirius said, now laughing.

They continued talking for a while, not knowing Harry had woken up in the room next door.

…

Harry woke slowly and didn't react when he saw that Sirius wasn't sitting next to him. He heard voices coming from another room, and despite the minor feeling of abandonment he always felt, he was also thankful that he was finally alone.

He sat up on the arm of the couch feeling refreshed from so much resting. Looking at his body, he noticed most of the bruises were gone if not faded, and all of his minor cuts had been healed. Remembering the last time he had seen Poppy, he flexed his ankle that had been broken and was surprised when he didn't feel any bit of pain.

"I love magic," he said quietly to himself.

His left arm was still in a sling and he had a minor headache but that was it. The rest of his body felt healed and better than it had in awhile.

As he swung his legs over the side of the couch though his stomach gnawed at him and he realized how hungry he was. He glanced over to the table next to him and only saw bottles of potions, so he shakily stood up in search of the kitchen and therefore, food.

He made it confidently across the room when he suddenly wondered if he couldn't just call out to Sirius and ask for something. After thinking it over however, he decided he wanted to stop relying on other people for things. He had alway been very independent because he lived with the Dursleys, and although he was ready for that to change by living with his new guardians, he didn't want to be sick or helpless.

Sure now of what he wanted to do, Harry walked through the door of the living room and down a long hallway. The voices were getting louder so he continued walking. His footsteps were silent.

He arrived at the doorway of the kitchen and he could clearly hear Remus and Sirius talking.

"...but you had always been an amazing auror. Don't you want to help fight and protect Harry?"

"Of course I do," Sirius said, making Harry smile.

Remus said something else too low for Harry to hear. Sirius responded with, "To be honest I really don't know. I have some hard memories from it and when I think about my time as an auror the thing that comes to mind is how much stress I was under because of Voldemort and how I couldn't trust anyone. I mean, you of course know that I made the wrong choice and trusted Peter instead of you, and I regret that-"

"I know," Remus said.

"-but maybe now that I have a better idea of who I can trust… With Voldemort gone, I don't even know how useful i would be anyway."

"Sirius I don't know if I would assume that."

"Assume what that I won't be useful? That Voldemort is gone?"

There was a silence and then Remus said, "Both".

Sirius went on saying, "I don't know, they could probably use me… If they would allow to be an auror again. And I didn't mean Voldemort is gone for good... he's just… off the radar for a little while."

"Sure," Remus said casually.

The sound of utensils clinking against dishes reminded Harry of his hunger and the fact that he was eavesdropping. Straightening his chest, he took a step forward and looked into the room.

Sirius immediately noticed Harry, silent as he was, and said smiling, "Harry."

Remus turned. "Hey, I didn't hear you come in."

Harry shrugged grinning from Sirius's gleeful face. "What were you talking about?" he asked easily, sitting down at the end of the table between Sirius and Remus.

"Oh ya know, You-Know-Who, the end of the world, few other things," Sirius said watching Harry's reaction extremely closely. Harry just raised an eyebrow and gave a small smile.

"Hungry?" Remus said. With a nod from Harry, he got up and prepared him a simple meal.

Harry realized they weren't too eager to jump back into their previous conversation so although the talk of Voldemort piqued his interest, he dropped it.

"So I guess you're feeling better?" Sirius asked.

Harry nodded. "The only thing that hasn't healed is my shoulder and my head," he said recalling his most recent conversation with Poppy. Remus looked up from what he was doing to listen but Harry kept his gaze fixed at his godfather. "All of my bones are healed which I still think is kind of amazing. Poppy said my concussion shouldn't be too much of an issue either. I just have a few more days of potions and I should be back to normal."

"Glad to hear it," Remus said.

Harry looked at the man he had always known as his teacher and thought back to how he was so glad to finally have someone besides his friends who really cared about him. He thought about seeing him a month ago, crying like a baby in his office, and then leaving on the train. He looked down at his hands and all of a sudden wasn't in the mood to talk. Harry just wanted to forget about the Dursleys and live his life with Remus and Sirius.

Sirius shared a glance with Remus as they watched Harry go quiet.

Harry, on the other hand, was still lost in thought about everything that had been recently on his mind. As much as he trusted Remus, he is too embarrassed to talk about the Dursleys with him. For some reason, Sirius was different. _Maybe one day I can tell him everything_ , Harry reasoned with himself. _I want to trust him, but I don't want to talk to him right now,_ Harry thought.

He looked up suddenly, realizing how quiet the room had gotten, and said, "What's for lunch?". He smiled, trying to make himself happy.

"Well, have you ever experienced Remus's cooking?" Sirius said.

Harry shook his head.

"I think you'll appreciate it, he is a very good cook," Sirius said, making Remus smile.

Remus continued stirring the soup he had made last night, occasionally adjusting the temperature. He then used a touch of magic to make the spoon continue stirring.

Harry watched as Remus sat down at a chair close to the stove. Harry then opened his mouth to say something, and then closed it. Then he opened it again and finally decided to say, "So why were you talking about becoming an auror?"

 _Harry must have been listening to our conversation_ , Remus thought, and he was instantly reminded of all the mischievous things James Potter had done.

Sirius simply said, "Well now that I am free, Remus and I were discussing whether or not I should be looking for a job."

"Why wouldn't you want to get a job?"

Sirius shrugged and took a breath in before saying, "Well, not everyone fully believed the ministry when they declared me as a free man, unresponsible for the death of 13 muggles." he paused, until saying, "They still think I'm a deatheater biding my time and waiting to make my move. It's all rubbish."

Remus, as he stood up to get bowls out for the steaming soup, said, "Sirius made a fantastic auror when he fought in the First Wizarding War."

Harry nodded as he easily imagined this. "So, would you ever become an auror again?" He leaned in to listen closely to his answer.

Sirius shrugged. "As of right now, it's rather hard to say. I was just telling Remus before you came in that it was a stressful job and I regret the fact that I chose the wrong person to trust. I might not go right back into being an auror, but if the fight with the Death Eaters ever gets too severe, I will not hesitate to join in."

Remus added "Nor will I." He carried the hot bowl of soup and a bowl of crackers from the stove over to Harry who looked down at the warm, inviting soup happily, craving to get a taste of it. He grabbed the spoon Remus had just set down and began to eat.

While he ate, Sirius and Remus noticeably attempted to change the subject to things that were more light and fun. Harry listened and smiled at many of the things they said, now in a genuinely chipper mood.

He had been finished with the soup for quite some time and was engaged in a conversation about the pranks of the Weasley twins when an owl suddenly started rapping its beak against the window as if daring to see how hard he could hit it before it would break.

"Oi, you bird," Sirius muttered as he opened the window and stepped back as the Scops Owl flew hurriedly into the room.

Remus stood up and managed to finagle the letter out of the strings attaching it to the leg of the owl.

Harry tossed him a cracker and was pleased to watch the awkward little owl catch it.

"'m glad to see Ron's getting some use out of him," Sirius said. "He said he named it Pig, rightfully of course. I gave it to him after he lost Scabbers, not that the little lying scoundrel was much of a loss." Remus handed the letter to Harry, after seeing his name written on the front.

"What do you reckon he'd be writing to me about? I told him I couldn't get any letters until I… came here," Harry said, not even wanting to mention the Dursleys name.

He opened the letter but before he started to read looked up at his Godfather and Remus. "Er-"

"We'll leave you to it," Remus said and turned back to the stove. Sirius put his hands in his pocket and left the room in a few long strides. Shaking his head and smiling, Harry opened the letter and read what Ron had written.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _I hope this letter makes it to you. I'm not sure how much I can trust Pig to send any letters, but he seemed very excited to leave the Burrow and deliver something._

 _I wanted to see you as soon as you've settled in with Remus and Sirius. I sent this letter as soon as you said you'd be away from the Dursleys. Have they been treating you well? I hope your fat-arse cousin isn't giving you any trouble, and if he is I can ask Fred and George to send him a little present from yours truly._

 _Send me your reply about when you can come over with Pig (I hope the ruddy owl is strong enough to make it back) - you can use the floo to get here, as soon I've checked with my mum. Not that I'm doing anything these next few weeks except trying to start homework. I've been holding off, but Ginny and Hermione have both been nagging me. It's an awful-lot harder this year Harry and you're lucky to have Lupin to help you out on occasion. Fred and George don't help me much with school._

 _One last thing - the Quidditch World Cup is being held in England this year on August 22nd! My Dad got tickets for all of us but it wouldn't be any fun without you. Ask Sirius if you can come, and then try to stay out of trouble until then. Wouldn't want to miss out on an opportunity like this because you were grounded or something! Not that something like that has ever happened to me…_

 _I really hope you are doing well, Harry, and Ginny says hello._

 _sincerely,_

 _Ron_

Harry smiled as he finished the letter, and he knew that he had missed his red-headed friend. He probably would've stayed with them for the last two months of the summer if things hadn't worked out with Remus and Sirius.

Remus seemed to be watching his jovial expression but Harry just reread the letter in silence. He carefully folded it back into the envelope and looked around for where to write a reply.

"Got any paper anywhere?" Harry asked.

"Oh sure, somewhere," Remus quickly said and retrieved it from another room. Upon walking back in he said, "What did Ron need?"

"Oh I should actually probably ask you. Ron wants me to come over to the Burrow because he wanted to see me, and he only sent this letter when he knew I wasn't at the Dursleys…"

"Yes?" Remus said. Sirius also chose that moment to walk back in.

"and he er… wanted me to ask you about the Quidditch World Cup… It's being held in London this year and, well…"

"Would you like to go?" Sirius said with one corner of his mouth twitching upwards into a smile.

Harry raised his eyebrows, "Well sure I'd love too! Ron's already got tickets -"

"Harry, we can't make any promises," Remus said sending daggers at Sirius and trying to hint at him that they will talk later. Sirius seemed to get the message.

"Oh, yeah sure, I wasn't saying we had too… I just thought it'd be fun, and it's really no problem if we can't. Don't worry about it. We can go another time if it doesn't work out this year."

Remus was slightly surprised at Harry's rush to change his excited attitude and dismiss the idea of going altogether.

"I'll see what I can do, but I just don't want you to get your hopes up." Remus said, already knowing what he intended to do.

"Oh yeah, yeah sure." Harry shrugged it off again. He was mentally kicking himself. _You don't know how much money they have and those tickets could be expensive! Honestly, you should just be happy they are letting you stay with them!_

Sirius watched the odd range of expressions flicking across Harry's downcast face before Remus cleared his throat and said to Harry, "What else did you say about Ron coming over?"

Harry replied, "Oh well, Ron was actually inviting me to the Burrow. Sometime soon, I think maybe even tomorrow, he said he wasn't doing much. He said I can use the floo to get there and he can check with his mum. Of course, as long as it's alright with you."

"I think that's a great idea to see your friend," Sirius said. "Are you sure you want to with everything that's happened?" he said more quietly referring to the information Harry had shared with him not to long ago.

"What do you mean," Harry said uncertainly.

Sirius meandered his way to Harry, stopping a few feet away with his hands resting gently on the back of a chair.

"I know for a fact that Ron and Hermione care about you… a lot. And I can't imagine for a second that they would think badly of you or judge you if you told them what you told me a few hours ago," he paused. "I would take their friendship very seriously."

Harry looked intentionally at his Godfather. "I do… and I will."

Sirius nodded. "Don't be afraid to tell a few people you know you can trust," Sirius mentioned, thinking of Remus. Harry stayed quiet though.

"I might not mention it tomorrow though… If I tell them I want to tell them at the same time, you know what I mean? No need to relive it more times than I need to," Harry reasoned.

Sirius said, "good," and looked out the window at the mild weather.

"Harry I absolutely want you to see your friend-"

"but…"

"- but I don't think you should be travelling by floo powder."

"Well why not?" Harry asked.

"I'm probably being a touch overprotective," Remus looked between Sirius and Harry, "but I think it is just safer not to travel magically. I would hate for anything to go wrong or for you not to feel well over at the Weasleys. I trust Molly and Arthur, but they don't know what happened at the Dursleys," Harry flinched ever so slightly. "Just for a little while until I'm sure you've got your strength back, I want you stay here."

"Okay," Harry said followed quickly by, "but could I invite Ron over here?"

Remus's eyes had a bright look as he said, "I was just going to suggest that. Why don't you write him a reply telling him that he is welcome to come over tomorrow."

Sirius rummage through a cluttered drawer in the cabinet behind him but he eventually pulled out some ink and a quill. Harry took it and wrote his reply on the parchment Remus had already given him.

 _Dear Ron,_

 _Pig did a fine job for his first time delivering a letter, and he at least made it here. I will feed him before I send him back though, so don't worry._

 _The Dursleys were as pleasant as ever for the first month of the summer, and I don't think sending them one of the creations of the twins is a good idea. They would never forgive me for it next summer._

 _It's all fine with Sirius and Remus for us to see each other but we wanted to invite you over here instead - hope that's okay, maybe I can see the rest of your family another time. Anytime around lunch is fine to come over. Check with your parents and use the floo. I'm at Black Manor, but you probably already know that._

 _I have barely glanced at my homework all summer. I bet Hermione's half done with hers, and maybe we can work on some of the hard stuff together._

 _I'm not sure about the Quidditch World Cup yet. I hope I can go but don't count on me yet. See you soon and tell Ginny I said hello!_

 _Your friend,_

 _Harry_

Harry sealed his letter in a crisp new envelope and addressed it to Ron. He whistled at the small owl who came over and flapped around near his head. He gave the owl the rest of his crackers that he had gotten with his soup and watched how quickly the owl ate them. Then Pig stood somewhat still while Harry tied the letter onto his leg.

"I hope he makes it." Harry said to himself. He walked up from his seat and opened the window. "Off you go now, give it to Ron." The bird squawked a few notes before flying out of sight.

Harry turned again to see Remus and Sirius just finishing their conversation and looking at him.

"Still hungry?" Remus said, but Harry shook his head.

Remus smiled. "Well, I'm glad to see that you're up and moving but I don't want you to get too exhausted. I want to make sure you eat enough… and still get lots of rest."

Harry didn't really protest to that. He felt fine, but he was getting tired.

Sirius nodded. "Do you want to still sleep on the couch tonight?"

Harry shrugged, in an uncaring way. He realized that he definitely wasn't used to getting all this attention at home.

"Alright well why don't you just stay down here to make things easier and tomorrow you can set up your room with Ron if you'd like too."

"Sounds good, thanks Sirius," Harry said assuringly.

They made their way back into the living room where Harry just sat down on the couch and leaned on his hands. They talked for a little while more and as it got later into the evening Remus pulled out an old Wizard's Chess set.

"Feeling up to a game of chess?" Remus asked Sirius, noticing that Harry's eyes were drooping.

Sirius turned to Harry, "Remus is excellent at chess let me tell you. I can remember when he would stay up and participate in tournaments in the common room, mostly with the other geeks in our class." They started to set up all of the pieces. "Hopefully he has lost some of his skills after all those years."

They laughed and talked for a while and Harry watched as Remus took complete control of the board while still letting Sirius feel like he was winning by letting him capture one or two minor pieces. In a few swift moves though, Remus had Sirius cornered and he achieved a checkmate a minute later.

"Well."

"Good game, Sirius."

"Nothing's changed," Sirius said making Remus laugh.

Harry smiled to himself behind closed eyelids. This felt good, hanging out with a family, being able to trust people, and feeling comfortable in his own home.

Remus gestured to Harry's smile and Sirius nodded. They quietly cleaned up their game and started to make their way out.

"Goodnight Harry," Sirius said.

" 'night," came a tired voice.

The two men walked back towards the kitchen.

"I wanted to tell you earlier but," Remus checked behind him and slowly closed the door to the kitchen, "I couldn't do it with Harry right there."

"Oh yeah?"

An excited look crossed Remus's generally stoic expression. "I was thinking about getting Harry tickets to the Quidditch World Cup and giving them to him for his birthday. Now hearing that The Weasleys have bought some, I'm going to write Arthur and see if I can't get seats close to theirs."

"That's a swell idea. We can surprise him on his birthday," Sirius said in a hushed tone. "I hated to see him look disappointed."

"Well there are only a few more weeks before he turns fourteen."

"July 31st, I've remembered the date." Sirius beamed.

Remus started cleaning up the day's dishes as Sirius looked ahead in a trance state, thinking about his Godson. Sirius was more than happy that Harry would get to see Ron and hopefully have some fun. _Even if Harry waits a while to tell his friends… maybe this can get his mind off things_ , Sirius thought.

Maybe this was an unofficial remedy for a wound that would take a long time to heal.

…

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Thanks to everyone who's still sticking with me for this story! Please leave a review and let me know if there is something you want to see in the story or polite criticism about a chapter I've already written. I can tell you now that I'm going to get moving with the plot of the fourth novel and I've already set some of it up - Bravo to any reader that figured out why Dumbledore was in _France on a business trip concerning the upcoming school year_ … :-) I know what I'm doing! I will update soon!


	13. Prongs Jr

**Chapter Thirteen: Prongs Jr.**

By: PenDiva

 **DISCLAIMER:** Of course, I do not own this storyline or the characters, I am just borrowing them, just in case anyone thought I was actually genius enough to come up with this amazing story.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Hi everyone, please enjoy my (very delayed) chapter. I kind of rushed the editing process so I could just get it out to you guys, so please forgive me for any errors, as I am sure they exist.

…

Harry flexed his shoulder comfortably and glanced down at the rest of his body. After a night of rest and another round of healing from Poppy, Harry felt completely healed. No more bruises were visible on his skin, and all of his bones were healed. His lingering headache had disappeared and now he didn't even need the sling anymore because she had just repaired all of the torn muscle in his shoulder.

Harry smiled to himself. Without any physical evidence that he had spent a month with the Dursleys, Harry could finally relax and enjoy his summer for the most part. A part of him knew that the nightmares would never go away, and that he would still flinch when he heard a loud voice or a door slam or when someone made a someone move.

He took a deep breath in and felt with his hand how skinny he still was. Remus had certainly noticed and had tried to get him to eat a large breakfast, although Harry wondered how many pancakes he would've had to eat to get him to stop nagging. He never minded though, because he was too often reminded of his completely opposite situation with the Dursleys; being starved for month and craving to just get a few mouthfuls of food.

Harry looked up to see Remus and Sirius stroll into the room. They had just finished their conversation with Poppy.

"She said everything looks to be in order!" Sirius patted Harry on the back lightly.

Remus nodded. "Well, almost everything. She was just talking to us about how in your childhood you didn't get a lot of the necessary nutrients that you needed so she gave you this," Remus shook a bottle of pills. "This will last you the rest of the summer, and then when you get to Hogwarts, there will be some at your bedside every night. It's just to help your body regain some of the vitamins and nutrients it has lost."

Harry took the bottle and rubbed his thumb over the words _Nutrition Supplement_. "Should I just take it every night before bed?"

"Yes, it should be fairly easy."

Harry looked at it for a second and was reminded of taking pain reliever at the Dursleys. _Merlin, why do I always have to think of them,_ Harry thought to himself. He placed the bottle on the table to his left without a second glance.

Sirius made a sudden move to sit down making Harry startle, although only Remus noticed. Sirius went right on to say, "So, I have been wondering, and probably Remus has too, how you put a charm on yourself to disguise your injuries when you first came here. You know, when you were trying to hide them," Sirius said trying not to make this conversation seem too awkward.

Harry bit his lip considering how he wanted to describe this. "Well…" Harry thought for another delayed second. He wasn't entirely sure, and it was rather hard to describe. He gave a short laugh, "I don't actually know."

Sirius nodded sarcastically, "Alright, fair enough."

Remus rolled his eyes as Harry continued with, "I was pacing around my room, I was so frustrated I could've screamed, I remember that. I knew that you guys were about to come and I didn't want you to find out about everything… but I couldn't think of a way to hide all the bruises. So I just kept thinking about that, and I kept saying in my head 'They can't know, I have to hide it', things like that."

Harry didn't look at Remus and Sirius as he spoke next; he was too busy trying to remember and figure out what exactly had happened. "Then I felt something… but it's hard to put into words. I knew it was magic, I've felt magic. At first I thought maybe someone was in here with me, someone else who can do magic, but nobody was there. I could feel it all around my body, kind of a light, tingling feeling." Harry finally looked up at Remus cinched eyebrows and open mouth. Remus closed his mouth and gestured for Harry to continue.

"I didn't know what the weird feeling was at first. It went away after about a minute so I assumed it was nothing. Then I looked in the mirror and saw that all my bruises were gone! Well, actually they were still there, and I could _feel_ them when I touched them but to the rest of the world it looked like I was fine."

"But you didn't, say, wandlessly cast a spell?" Remus asked.

Harry shook his head. "I don't know any spells that could've disguised me or covered up a bruise. And I'm not allowed to do magic during the summer anyway."

Sirius looked at Harry, not really knowing what to think. He would leave it to Remus to figure it out.

Remus turned away thinking. It could've been accidental magic, but that typically never happens for a witch or wizard after they have learned to do at least some magic with a wand. Harry had three years of experience and schooling at Hogwarts, so why would his magic react like this all of a sudden?

Remus shrugged as he turned back towards Harry. "Strange, but nothing to worry about. Probably just a random burst of accidental magic," although Remus himself wasn't sure if that was what he should call it. Then he addressed the other thing about Harry's explanation that he had on his mind. "You do know that we never want you to hide the fact that you're hurt right? We want to help you Harry."

"I - I know and I'm really sorry, but I just - I didn't know that for sure… I - I mean, before yesterday, I didn't think you would find out and I didn't want to tell you. I'm s - so sorry, I should've just told you, I'm s - sorry-" Harry rushed to say.

"Harry!" Remus nearly shouted at him to stop, causing Harry to flinch violently backwards. Remus's eyes widened and he felt awful for shouting at him.

"Harry, I'm sorry I didn't mean to shout - "

"N - no, you're fine, I'm sorry, I - I didn't mean to jump s - sorry - "

"Please stop apologizing, Harry. I completely understand why you didn't want either of us to find out about anything unpleasant that had happened at the Dursleys. It was a private matter, and Sirius and I completely understand." Remus sat down on the other side of the couch, very near to Harry.

Harry was looking straight at Remus. "I don't know everything that happened when you were there - " Harry looked away, -but I do think there are some things that still haunt you." He reached a hand out and lifted Harry's chin and as Harry made eye contact he moved a gentle hand over to his shoulder.

"You don't need to apologize for everything you do. And know that Sirius and I will never hurt you. We might get frustrated at times, but I would never hurt you as a punishment, or do anything to harm you. It's our job to _protect_ you."

Harry stared into Remus's soft expression. _Is this what it means to have a real parent, someone who actually cares about you?_ Harry had never experienced this himself, but he longed for it in ways he didn't even know.

"I keep flinching, I - I'm sorry-" Harry mumbled.

"It's a reflex you can't control, and I'm very sorry that you have that reflex in the first place. We'll help you realize that we are here to protect you okay Harry? You're not alone," Remus said softly, making Harry gulp and only manage a nod.

Remus wrapped his arm around to Harry's back and pulled him in for an overdue hug. Harry leaned into it, enjoying the comfort Remus provided.

"Don't worry. I won't let anybody hurt you again, as long as I can do something about it." Remus said, making that promise to himself as well.

Harry ended the embrace and turned to give Sirius one too. As they pulled apart, Harry pulled his knees into his chest and looked at Sirius unsure what to do now.

A lost expression covered Remus's face all of a sudden and both Sirius and Harry stared at him. He looked straight at the wall and his mouth moved slightly.

"Hey Remus, you need something?" Sirius said. Remus glanced at Sirius.

"No, er, not right now."

Harry and Sirius shared a look, but they hid their snickers. Then they glanced back at Remus who had his eyebrows scrunched together.

"Actually, yes I do. I've just thought of something. Was the minister at your trial Sirius?"

Sirius was taken back in surprise but after a moment said, "No, I don't think he was… now that I think about it, that's strange. He's almost always there for the big ones involving death eaters - or I guess 'supposed' death eaters in my case."

Remus humphed and gave a small little nod. "Hmm… you know, I want to look into something. Give a holler if you need anything Harry, I will be down in the library." He smiled at Harry and then walked out of the room lost in a train of thought.

Sirius shook his head. Harry asked, "What's the minister not being at your trial got to do with anything?"

"Oh heaven knows what, Harry. I can never keep up with him, brilliant as he is."

Harry knew this having been his student for a year. "Ron said I was lucky to have him for the rest of the summer in case I had questions on my homework."

"Oh yeah, isn't Ron coming over soon?"

Harry glanced at the clock. "In about an hour or two. I wasn't too specific about the time." He paused. "I was thinking about getting my room ready so that Ron and I could hang out in there."

Sirius raised his eyebrows and grinned. "That's a good idea - why don't I show you to your room? Actually you haven't really seen the house yet, have you?"

Harry shook his head. "Well, no problem, I can just give you a tour."

Harry walked through the doorway of the living room into the front hallway, which he had failed to admire the first time he entered Black Manor, and stopped to admire the grandiosity of it. The stairway leading to the second floor was a dark wood with a shiny stained finish to match the styling in the wooden floor. The front door was wide and made of wood with a stained glass window atop its intricately carved frame. A small but warm chandelier hung innocently from the tall ceiling that stretched to the second floor, only noticed by Harry when he craned his neck to look up at where the stairs had led to. Harry gaped at everything he saw, taking in every detail.

Harry turned to look at Sirius who was smirking. "So, this is your house?"

Sirius walked past Harry as he said, "My uncle Alphard left it to me in his will. He died when I was seventeen, and I think he had already inherited the house from another wealthy family member." Harry had no idea his Godfather's family had so much money. Sirius continued, "He left me some gold too. He was always very fond of me, and he treated me well so naturally he was my favorite uncle."

Sirius began to slowly show Harry through the dining room as Harry followed, running his hand along the smooth wooden table. "It's a nice little place... We needed to renovate it a little because it went unused while I was in Azkaban, although it didn't need much work."

They walked through the first floor where they peeked into Remus's organized study, and then walked past the kitchen mentioning the door that led into the backyard and garden from the back of the kitchen. Harry admired everything he saw, the back porch, the back entry hall, the library where they gave a wave in Remus' direction although he was engrossed in a book, even the bathroom was refined and posh. Sirius had a lot of fun talking about each room and telling Harry about what they did to renovate it.

They moved upstairs and Harry leaned over the railing that looked down upon the front door.

"I think the Dursley's would be very jealous."

Sirius laughed and then moved on to show him a few closet spaces, his room, Remus's room, and another study that Sirius used that overlooked the backyard. THen he led him past the last door they hadn't gone into and showed him the deck that came out from the side of the house, right above Remus's study on the first floor.

"Wow… this is, magnificent," Harry commented.

"Thanks, I think so too." Together they looked out at the forest and the distant mountains that stretched into the clouds. Then wind grabbed at their shirts and the sun warmed their faces and a genuine smile lit up Harry's face.

Sirius led Harry back inside and then opened the last door and let Harry through. Harry was immediately surprised at the size of what he realized was his own room.

His room looked at least twice as big as the one he had at the Dursleys, and it had twice as much furniture. If Harry really thought about it, all he really had at the Dursleys was a bed, a desk, and a dresser, so what he was looking at now was definitely an upgrade.

Against one wall was a large bed made up with sheets in the gryffindor colors. Next to that was a large desk and a swivel chair. Along the left wall was a walk in closet and a dresser to the left of that. There was also a comfortable lounge chair near the foot of Harry's bed with a wooden table nest to it that jutted out into the middle of the room. Behind the chair was a bookshelf, already half full.

As Harry stepped deeper into the room he couldn't help but notice the gold paint on all the walls of his bedroom except for his closet which was painted red. A large window behind his desk let natural sunlight in that lit up the wall on the right. The dark red curtains with gold trim were pulled to the side.

"Sirius this is…" Harry didn't finish, mouth agape at a room he didn't even think he deserved.

Sirius made a small grimace. "I know, some parts are unfinished and we didn't hang up some stuff, but we wanted you to put stuff where you wanted it - " but Harry cut him off with a hug.

"It's brilliant," was all Harry said, but he felt like he could've said so much more.

"Anything for you, Prongs Jr."

Harry made a face at Sirius. "What?"

Sirius just tousled his hair and said, "I gave you that nickname when you were a baby. Your dad loved it and your mother… I don't remember if she thought much of it."

Harry raised his eyebrows and fixed his hair. It wasn't very neat, and he gave up on taming his unruly strands.

"Well, I'll be in the living room if you need anything. I'm researching a few job opportunities" Sirius said, stepping out in the hallway

"Good luck." Sirius went back downstairs.

Harry watched him for a second and then went back in his room, filled with glee.

…

Two hours later, Harry sat at the kitchen table chewing slowly, not hungry for the other half of the sandwich he was eating. He waited for Remus to tell him to eat more, and played with his fork.

Harry looked out the window and admired what a sunny day it was. Maybe him and Ron could go flying and practice some Quidditch moves. But Ron isn't here yet. _And I still haven't touched the other half of my sandwich_ , Harry thought.

He just stared at it, leaning back in his chair, exhaling slowly. Remus was just finishing his own lunch.

"Harry, I've watched you stare at that thing for the last ten minutes. It's probably cold by now," Remus said.

Harry touched it, feeling like a small child but not caring in the slightest. "Yep."

The man across the table sighed. "You need to build back everything you lost this last month, because you're still a little under weight. So that means eating a bit more than usual."

Harry chose not to look Remus in the eye. "I know, but I'm just not hungry, okay? I've always been skinny-"

"that is also the Dursley's fault-" Remus said, although he was trying to be careful how much he mentioned them.

"-and eating until I can barely move isn't going to change anything. I'm sorry," Harry huffed.

Remus was deciding what to say next when a noise was heard from the living room. Then a bunch of other noises were heard, as if things were falling to the floor, and then Harry heard Ron grunt. Sirius gave a hearty laugh and then it sounded like he helped him up. Harry and Remus shared a look and a small laugh.

Harry got up to leave but remembered his manners. With a swift and practiced hand, Harry grabbed his plate, guiltily threw away the unused food, and rinsed off his plate. He dried his hands and turned quickly around to see Remus facing him.

They didn't say anything but listened to Ron and Sirius have a friendly exchange in the living room. It sounded like they were putting things back on the shelf, and Harry wondered what kind of an entrance Ron had made.

Remus sighed but said, "Go have some fun."

Harry beamed and ran out of the kitchen, down the hall to the living room where Ron and Sirius were standing. Sirius was just picking up a picture frame off the floor when he saw Harry.

"Harry! Ron's here!" Sirius said, not caring at all that he was stating the obvious.

Harry grinned, and looked behind him at Ron who was trying to figure out which way the frame was supposed to be facing. He gave the frame one last glance and then turned toward his friend.

"Harry!" Ron said happily. They embraced like boys, patting each other on the backs as they both said hello.

"How's your summer been?" Ron said automatically.

Harry replied with, "Fine. It's been grand since I came to be with Remus and Sirius."

Ron nodded in approval. "I'm sure. I was so happy to hear that Sirius was freed."

Sirius grasped Ron's shoulder and said, "Thanks again for submitting a memory for the trial." With that, Sirius slowly made his exit from the room, smiling like a weirdo the whole time. He was just happy that Harry could enjoy himself like any other teenage boy.

"Quite the entrance you made," Harry said with one corner of his mouth growing into a smirk. "Did you knock over everything on the mantle while you were at it?" Harry guessed at what all the noises had been a few seconds ago.

Ron looked around the room. "Er - that, and I think the table," he said sheepishly.

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Well done."

Ron just shrugged. "Sirius said the floo hadn't been used in a while and created a little disturbance. But it wasn't my fault, just for the record. I was the first one to use it" Ron said, looking at Harry.

"That's just it's way of saying welcome to Black Manor!"

Ron also grinned and finally stepped away from the fireplace and scanned the well-decorated room. "This place is brilliant."

"You think?" Ron nodded without hesitation.

"Absolutely. Much nicer than the Burrow." He sat down on the couch and was happy to feel himself sink into the cushions. Harry sat down next to him and he brought his knees up under him.

"The Blacks are a real old wizarding family I'm pretty sure. You should ask your godfather about it sometime." Ron said.

Harry's face lit up all of a sudden. "Want to see my room?"

Ron and Harry were both very happy to see each other although both of them were avoiding talking about the Dursleys. Ron proudly helped Harry hang up some Quidditch posters, but Harry wasn't as into it as Ron was. He just liked playing Seeker and flying around on a Broom.

At some point, Ron went back to the Burrow to get one of his brother's brooms and Harry him went out and practiced catching a small ball. Harry was very good at catching it and performing a bold dive to get it, but only if he could see it.

"Something wrong with your glasses?" Rona asked as they hovered next to each other in the air.

"No, I think they're just old."

"Do you think can get new ones by the time school starts?"

Harry shrugged. "Maybe," he said, surprised he hadn't thought about it until now. His glasses were very old, and the spells he used to repair them wore off quickly.

They continued flying around outside until the sun was about halfway through its descent, low enough in the sky to make looking at each other difficult from certain angles. They flew down and went back inside where Harry suggested they go back up to his room because Sirius was occupying the living room.

Harry gave a salute to Sirius who smiled at him and then they climbed back up to Harry's room. It was only a short while before dinner so they had a few minutes to talk.

Ron sit down comfortably in the chair beside the door of Harry's room. "Hey, I've been meaning to ask you ever since I got here-"

"Yeah?"

"How was your first month of the summer with the Dursleys? I mean, how was it really?"

Harry avoided his friends eyes not sure why Ron had thought to ask this. "I dunno, not great to be honest, why do you ask?"

"Well I know how much you hate it there." Harry didn't respond. He just sat on his unmade bed and looked thoughtfully at his friend.

"Harry, if there is anything you want to talk about you know you can always talk to me. I'm your best friend and I would always want to help you out, and Hermione would too."

Harry remembered that he had made a promise to Sirius that he would tell Ron and Hermione some day, but he didn't think that day was today.

"I know…" Harry said quietly but Ron continued to look at him. "They didn't treat me great because they didn't like me, and I was always embarrassed that I didn't have a real family so I've tried to avoid the subject. I will tell you and Hermione about everything one day, but just not right now," he pleaded.

Ron nodded and Harry added, "I do trust you Ron but I really don't want to think about it right now."

Ron's questions still weren't answered but at how scared and desperate Harry sounded, he dropped the subject and told Harry he understood and would be ready to listen whenever Harry needed him.

…

The two boys stood up with their dinner plates and glanced at the clock. Dinner was great and Harry had spent most of it just talking to Ron and laughing, although sometimes he felt like he did most of the talking because Ron was so busy stuffing his face full of food. At one point he felt very self conscious about how he still had a really small appetite, but he tried not to let it bother him.

"You've got another hour and then Ron has to go back to the Burrow, Harry." Remus said.

"Alright," Harry said quickly and Ron and him hurried out of kitchen and down the hall to the back door.

"Should we go outside?" Ron asked.

"Probably. It's still light out," Harry replied.

The two boys walked stealthily outside and sat down on the steps. Harry turned eagerly to Ron who glanced around for a second.

Ron had hinted about a great idea he had at dinner at that he would tell Harry later, and by the look on his face, Harry reckoned that whatever he was thinking was mischievous and troublesome; things Harry had been too many times before.

"Okay, I don't think your Godfather and Remus are listening." Ron said.

Harry tilted his head and glance backwards at the house. "Why - would that be a problem?"

"Ah, well… they might interfere," Ron said smiling.

"We won't get in trouble for this will we?" Harry asked.

"Probably not?" Ron said with a shrug.

"Alright well just tell me already!"

"Shh!" Ron said gesturing with his arms. Harry flinched at the sound of his own loud voice and they both slowly turned around and made sure that nobody was listening.

"Okay," Ron started in a harsh whisper. "So you know how the twins always love a good prank?"

"Sure," Harry said recalling a few of their more radical stunts.

"Well now they are getting more serious about it. They spend hours in their room brainstorming ideas and conducting experiments-"

"Experiments?"

"Fred called them their 'products' I think once. They don't tell me much about it, but I've pieced together a few things and I think they're trying to start a business," Ron said.

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Do you think they could run a business?"

Ron scoffed. "Not really, but that's not the point. I think they might try to sell their stuff at one point, but as of right now they are just trying to make their products. They keep mentioning the marauders."

Harry smirked, "Yeah, I bet they worship the marauders, 'the ultimate pranksters of Hogwarts' or something. They told me about it when they let me have the marauders map."

Ron nodded, eyes widened. "I know, and they seriously do worship them. They have tried to ask me if I know who they were or if you know who they were, but I haven't said anything."

"And they have no idea that one of the marauders was their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher last year," Harry said, voice gaining volume as they started to get excited. Ron still hadn't told him what grand idea he had, but it was coming soon.

"Right, and Sirius was one of the marauders too right?"

"Right - they all had nicknames."

"The twins even memorized what was on the map; Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," Ron said counting them off on his fingers. "Moon is Remus, Wormtail is Pettigrew, the blasted scoundrel," Ron added, "Padfoot-"

"That's Sirius and Prongs was my dad. Sirius even nicknamed me Prongs Jr. when I was a baby" Harry finished proudly.

"Really? Cool! I bet Fred and George would be so jealous! And they have no idea that you are a descendant of a marauder! Oh Harry, I can just picture the look on their face when they put it all together."

Harry kind of froze, realizing he had never really thought about it like that. His dad was kind of prankster legend… Ron just continued on, buzzing with energy.

"Well, I had this idea. What if the marauders gave the twins a little visit? And vice versa, the legends can get a little visit from their worshippers." Harry had an incredulous expression.

"Wait say that again? You lost me…" Harry asked.

"Well for years I've always wanted to prank the twins - and I don't mean a little April Fools joke - I want to really get them good. I've tried a few times, but to be honest I'm not the best prankster." Ron glanced at Harry to make sure he was following along, and at his nod kept explaining.

"So I thought this was the perfect opportunity. I can prank the twins and somehow make it seem like the marauders are doing it. And then, you can prank your guardians and somehow make it seem like the twins are doing it." Ron looked at Harry.

"Okay… that's an interesting-"

"bloody genius,"

"- and probably impossible idea, but I'm willing to try. But how in the world are we going to pull this off? Any ideas?" Harry asked Ron.

Ron smiled and got a look on his face that only looked like one Harry had seen on Sirius; Ron looked like an eager child with a hint of a mischievous yet innocent smile. Harry just shook his head and listened to Ron's ideas. This summer was about to get very interesting.

…

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Yay, this is so much fun, I love writing cool stuff like this. If anyone wants to help come up with ideas of pranks that would be awesome - just PM me. I'm going slightly off the storyline and getting sidetracked but who cares! :-) Thanks for reading, and please leave me a review and tell me what you thought!


	14. A Sticking Charm

Chapter Fourteen: A Sticking Charm

By: PenDiva

DISCLAIMER: Shocker: I don't own the original story or the characters :-)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Ah! I am so sorry for the huge delay, you don't deserve it and I hate myself for it but alas; I was in a musical and I got the lead so that was my life for the past two months. Now it's over, so I can spend my time doing some other leisurely activities! Please enjoy and have confidence that I will be posting again soon!

…

Harry looked out his window, observing the patches of moonlit grass and partly cloudy sky. Sirius had reminded him that it was a week and a half before the next full moon which means to stay out of Remus' way if he gets moody.

Harry had seen Remus transform at the end of last year and had relived it in some of his vivid nightmares. Remus said they made a secure area in the basement for it and Harry would probably spend the night in his room to let Remus transform safely.

Harry walked over to his closet and stared at it dully, opening his drawer and changing into pajamas. The night was quiet, except for some distant howls and hoots, animals of the night calling out to each other. Harry knew it was late but hadn't wanted to fall asleep. He had a funny feeling in his stomach, and his intuition told him it was his scar. It had been a pain all day-literally.

The last time his scar had troubled him was at the end of his second year when Tom Riddle came out of the diary and a few times during dreams about his parents. Harry had almost forgot what it felt like.

Harry sighed and climbed into his bed, habitually pulling off his glasses and shutting his lamp off. Pushing away thoughts of his scar, he settled in and drifted off to sleep.

The ground was wet. The crisp air whispered secrets around him, and the hairs on his arm stood on end.

Harry had an itch in his brain. He knew that he wanted something but he couldn't focus on what was blocking him from getting it.

Harry walked forward, wrapping his arms around himself. His head was pounding from the pain in his scar but he looked straight ahead.

The dream shifted and he moved quickly, unaware of where he was going. Nothing in his peripheral vision mattered, so Harry kept his eyes looking up at the old house in front of him.

There were stairs in front of him. He climbed them steadily, his scar starting to throb more painfully. Harry rubbed at it. Whispering met his ears, a light flashed before his eyes.

He felt powerless but he was grasping for something so close but just out of reach and growing farther away. Harry couldn't explain these impulsive feelings, but they gave his limbs purpose and his entire body was controlled by these thoughts.

He was in another cold room, at the top of the stairs. The wooden floor was old, and a ripped chair was faced away from Harry.

A harsh voice spoke his name.

A rat crawled around his legs which he absentmindedly kicked at.

Dark magic clawed at his consciousness, pain filled his head and Harry closed his eyes. The harsh voice screamed cruelly and another voice yelled something. Black shapes swirled around him amidst a cold light and suddenly Harry could only think of pain and despair.

He desperately wanted something and he would get it soon. Harry shook his head confused but the powerful desire only grew stronger.

Harry clutched at his scar, heart thudding uncontrollably.

He didn't know what it was that he wanted so badly but it was leaving and suddenly he heard a scream in his head. The desire grew distant and Harry's vision was lost and agony and darkness swallowed him...

Harry woke up panting, hand on his forehead, nails digging into his skin.

He looked around his room frantically, comforted only by the pale light of the moon. He suddenly noticed he was alone and Hedwig was out of her cage, no doubt catching food for herself.

He closed his eyes as a shudder passed through him, trying not to think about the dream that had just plagued his thoughts. It was vividly imprinted in his mind, and the hairs on his arms stood up as he remembered the cold he felt and the controlling sense of desire for something, although he didn't know what.

Harry swung his legs over the side of his bed and rested his heavy head in his hands. His scar usually pained him when Voldemort was around. It was probably nothing, Harry thought even though something tugged at him that this dream and his scar hurting was more than just coincidence.

His clock read 4:22, so no rays of the sun had pierced the dark sky yet. Wide awake now, Harry got up from his bed and rubbed at his scar. He felt a need to stand up, and get out of his bed where the warm blankets were no longer providing him with comfort. He stood in the middle of his room, taking in the eerie silence. Something about it reminded him of the loneliness he felt while he was at the Dursleys, so it did nothing to make Harry feel safe.

Harry had a half thought to go to Sirius and Remus and tell them about his dream but he mentally scolded himself.

Don't be a child, Harry. They don't care about your little nightmare, get over yourself.

Harry walked quickly back to his bed and curled into himself under the blankets, trying to rely on himself for comfort and everything he needed to hear. He had been extremely self-reliant for years and now was no different.

If I have a lot of dreams that irritate my scar, I will tell someone, but as of right now it's nothing.

The next few hours were restless for Harry. He watched the sun make a shadow of his house on the lawn, although the sun didn't warm his room. Harry busied himself by cleaning his room and getting dressed. He couldn't bring himself to work on homework so he lay on his bedspread and stared at the ceiling for a time.

A few hours after his dream, Harry walked down to breakfast quietly, not sure if anyone else was awake yet. He had heard some walking around, but Harry was pretty sure nobody else was downstairs yet.

He entered an empty kitchen, got himself cereal, and put it on the table for himself.

Just as he finished grabbing a glass of milk, the voices of his two guardians paraded down the hall. The two men walked into the kitchen in a harsh discussion.

"-wrote to me just yesterday-"

"-and is the old man back from vacation yet?"

"Oh Good Morning Harry," Remus said.

"Harry!" Sirius turned.

Harry smiled and greeted them back. They quickly continued their conversation while getting their own breakfasts.

"Dumbledore said that he was unaware-"

"Oh yeah sure,"

"-and he would've done something had he known. Lighten up Sirius, you know how much he cares about Harry."

Harry raised his eyebrows and met the eyes of Sirius and Remus.

"Who? What are we talking about?"

Remus barely opened his mouth before Sirius said, "That no good headmaster of yours with his evil twinkling eyes-"

"Well, that's one way to put it…" Remus stated.

"I can still see that sly smile whenever McGonagall explained what trouble we had gotten in - back when we were in school. Remember?"

"Every time" Remus mused.

"I know! At the time I was just glad that he wasn't mad and I didn't know what to think, but now I do and I don't like him," Sirius said so fast all Harry could do was raise his eyebrows.

Remus sighed.

"Anyway, we were talking about how he was the one who put you in the Dursley's care."

"He did?" Harry said slowly.

Remus looked at Sirius, "Yes… Of course, he didn't know that was an h safe situation for you to be in, but he should've known or had someone keep an eye on you."

Harry made eye contact with Remus who had a sad expression compared to Sirius' angry one.

"Actually, my neighbor, who was a Squib did kind of keep an eye on me and she helped me if I got hurt. But I just told her I got in a fist fight or something…. I was really good at hiding it," Harry said.

"Still, I don't think Dumbledore realizes what he did," Sirius growled.

"He did save me from Voldemort in my first year," Harry threw into the conversation.

Sirius didn't know what to say so Harry went on. "Quirrel-well actually Voldemort who was on the back of his... never mind that's not the point- He had attacked me and ran away. Voldemort," Harry finally noticed Remus cringing slightly when he said that name, "Sorry, 'You-Know-Who' was trying to get the Sorcerer's Stone but I stopped him and Dumbledore found me. You-Know-Who tried to come back my second year too, in the Chamber of Secrets and there was a basilisk, a diary, Malfoy was involved, and long story short, Faux, his Phoenix pet, saved my life."

"That's good..." Sirius said processing everything Harry just before his eyes narrowed. "But every time you were in danger or nearly lost your life it was at that school!"

Remus was at a loss but Harry had already given this topic some thought.

"I'm Harry Potter! I don't look for trouble - trouble finds me."

That made Remus smile. "Lay off Padfoot and eat your toast."

Sirius mumbled something else about toast but Harry just looked back at his own breakfast, which now wasn't as warm.

"Really though I want to hear more about this later - a Basilisk? In the school? Is that even possible? And what else were you saying about the Sorcerer's Stone?" Sirius asked.

Harry replied, "I've already told Remus most of what happened, but I can tell you all about it some other time."

Sirius seemed to accept that for an answer.

A few empty cereal bowls later, Sirius briefly mentioned that he was going to write Dumbledore.

"Alright well don't send the letter without me, I have something else I want to discuss with him in person," Remus finished glancing at Harry who was mostly oblivious. He just figured it was something school-related even though he knew Remus wouldn't be coming back next year to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts.

Harry meandered out of the kitchen to go work on his homework.

When Remus was sure he heard Harry's footsteps complete their trek up the stairs, he turned to Sirius with a serious expression.

"Hey so I've figured a few things out, and I would love to tell you how I figured everything out, but not right now. We're you aware that Hogwarts is hosting the Triwizard Tournament this upcoming school year?"

"The Triwizard-"

"I mean, of course, there is a new rule that only wizards that are 17 years old can compete," Remus noted.

Sirius had a quizzical expression. "Of all things- why are they bringing it back?"

"Bagman and Crouch are working on it right now - Hogwarts will be hosting two other schools for the tournament. They decided this was a good time to bring it back, and ensured that no students would die this time around."

"Whoa, Remus remind me what it is exactly."

Remus gave a brief summary and Sirius remained surprisingly silent until, after Remus had finished, he blurted out, "Is the old man out of his mind?"

Remus sighed but motioned at Sirius not to be so loud.

"I think I am going to tell Harry sometime soon. I wasn't sure about it until last night when I got a letter from a friend- never mind, it's a long story, but I think Harry would love to know ahead of time, even if iS very hush-hush."

"Harry won't be able to compete though right?"

Remus answered, "No, he's only thirteen."

"Fourteen, he will be fourteen."

"Right, which reminds me that his birthday is next week. The Weasley's are coming over for the party, and maybe a few more of Harry's friends, and then Ron, Ginny, and the twins will be sleeping over for a few days to give Arthur and Molly a break and let the kids have some fun."

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "Well, I'm sure that'll keep us busy."

Remus smiled.

"Keep me posted about this tournament" Sirius finished.

They moved off to the library to write a few carefully worded letters to the headmaster of Hogwarts.

Harry had returned to his room, more out of habit than necessity and was seated at his desk.

It was quiet in his room alone. Harry opened his window and invited a warm breeze into his room. It felt like it was going to be a hot day, which he welcomed, still thinking about the chill his nightmare had given him.

He systematically put away some clothes lying around his room, and as soon as he finished, he heard a familiar hoot.

Hedwig soared through the open window with a soft rustle of wings like a small ghost.

"About time!" Harry growled as she landed lightly on top of her cage. "You can put that down, I've got work for you!" Hedwig's large round Amber eyes gazed reproachfully at him over the dead frog clamped in her beak.

"Fine so what you want, but don't fly away. I've got a letter for Ron."

Hedwig gave a hoot before dropping the frog on the floor and making a meal of the amphibian.

"Lovely," was the witty response from Harry.

Harry glanced at his owl and then looked over his letter to Ron one last time. Their double prank against Harry's guardians and the twins was planned and ready with only a few minor glitches to work out. For example, Harry was trying to master how to cast a sticking charm wandlessly and silently. 'Like I said, only a few minor glitches' Harry thought.

The Weasley's would be sleeping over for a few days following Harry's birthday party, and Ron and Harry would be busy during those few days setting their prank in motion. They had already sent countless letters back and forth, and Ron had warned Harry that his mum was getting suspicious and had to tell her that they were planning to prank the twins. Fortunately, she only said to keep it safe and to get them back for every prank they've ever pulled.

Harry struggled to imagine Mrs. Weasley supporting a prank war, but he supposed even she can get sick of their tricks and knowingly thinks the best way for revenge is to fight fire with fire.

Harry sealed the letter quickly and tied it off. Hedwig was still swallowing the remains of the frog, and her soft white feathers shook in the breeze with delight. She stuck her leg out and Harry tied it on, watching her for a while as she flew off to the Burrow.

He looked around his room with a searching gaze until he spotted what he was looking for; his old toothbrush that he was going to throw away until he decided to use it as a way to practice for his prank.

Harry had found a book in the Black library on pranking that talked about a few strategies. It highlighted the fact that pranking was meant to create fun memories and caused everyone to have a good laugh. Pranks should not have the purpose of cruel revenge, inflicting pain, or making an impossible mess to clean up; or at least if it is messy, it should be able to be cleaned.

Harry had shared a lot of this with Ron who was fascinated by the science of pranking and determined to get it right. Neither of the wanted to hurt their victims or enact cruel revenge, although Ron argued that pranking is still a form of revenge, but Harry was confident that their pranks would be harmless and still hilarious.

Currently, Harry had placed the toothbrush on his desk and was waving his hands uselessly at it. He was concentrating very intently and then suddenly he let himself release. He tried to pick up the toothbrush but only noticed that it felt like a weak magnet was trying to keep it on his desk. In other words, it wasn't working.

Part of the plan involved Harry being able to pull off a sticking charm wandlessly and silently, which Harry thought was possible based on what he did accidentally at the Dursleys.

Harry could do the spell with his wand for the trick, but after a ton of sticking charms the ministry would get suspicious of so much underage magic and Harry didn't want to risk it.

For the prank, they were going for repetition which would make the twins increasingly annoyed. Harry would stick things that they need to use, a toothbrush for example, to the table so they couldn't use it. Ron even had the idea to put an M underneath it or on all their stuff to freak them out and give them the hint that it's supposedly the Marauders doing all of this.

He knew the incantation and could perform it with a wand, but taking away his wand had made it nearly impossible. Ron was doubtful Harry could do this, but he tried to be encouraging.

Harry tried again, staring intently at the toothbrush and saying the charm over and over again in his head. The toothbrush moved ever so slightly as if taunting him.

It wasn't working.

Harry flopped onto his bed in defeat. Nothing he tried worked, and no matter what he did with his hands or what he said in his mind, he couldn't replicate the tingling feeling he had when he had accidentally placed a concealment charm on himself as he was leaving the Dursleys.

Harry sat up quickly. That's it! The tingling feeling-I need to figure out how to get that back!

Harry began to pace unknowingly. Harry had been in a desperate situation and had wanted from the bottom of his heart for Sirius and Remus not to see his injuries and know about the abuse.

Well, I can't exactly put myself in a desperate situation on purpose… Harry paused. Can I? No, it would probably be dangerous.

He looked out the window and tried to rack his brain about what could work. He stood on the balls of his feet, excited about the thought of being able to do wandless magic, something that wasn't even taught.

A nagging voice in his head told him that is wasn't taught because it was impossible, but Harry shook away the negative thought.

Harry closed his eyes and focused inward, trying to feel what he was trying to do instead of performing a structured spell.

Suddenly a breeze entered the room, making his hair stand on end. He inhaled deeply and focused on his own magic if that made any sense. Suddenly his head felt light and his hands tingled. When Harry looked down a tiny spark came off his pointer finger. He gasped and nearly jumped, but the feeling was fleeting.

Harry turned around to face the toothbrush. He pointed at it and willed it to stick to the desk, putting as much energy and concentration into what he was doing. His muscles tensed and his fingers flexed. He could feel something he couldn't before, and all of a sudden Harry knew without a doubt that the toothbrush wasn't going anywhere.

Harry rushed over and beamed. He couldn't pull the toothbrush off the desk with all his might. He nearly laughed out loud. His whole being felt elated and happy, and he moved around the room unable to contain his joy.

"Brilliant, I can't wait to show Ron!" The tingling feeling had diminished by now, but Harry felt like if he really concentrated he could call on it and use it again.

When he finally stood still for a second he noticed a headache starting to form and his body ached. The adrenaline from his success was wearing off, and Harry wondered if his spurt of wandless magic had made him tired.

Harry smiled despite this and looked again at the toothbrush. Oh yes, this will be a fantastic prank indeed...

…

Sirius looked around at the shop they had just walked in. The Men's section was along the wall to his left and the rest of the store was devoted to Women's styles. His godson stood behind him, marveling at the fine fabric. The shop owner nodded from his perch at the back of the shop and invited the pair to look around.

"Well Harry, pick out what you want."

"Really?'

Sirius smirked, "Serious is my middle name."

Harry rolled his eyes but a smile tugged at his lips. He walked around the store with Sirius who helped find some nice styles for a good price. It felt like they were buying a whole new wardrobe and Harry didn't think it was possible to own so many clothes, but it seemed very reasonable to Sirius.

Harry preferred a comfortable style, soft t-shirts and a jumper for when it was cold. Sirius helped him pick out some khaki short and a couple flannels. Harry grabbed a few Gryffindor colored shirts and ones with collars, mostly at the encouragement of his godfather.

Sirius let him get a new pair of shoes, dark gray, and he grabbed three extra light gray shirts with a black rim, a style which Harry seemed to wear all the time without even trying.

"This will get you through the summer and into the fall, but we might not go shopping again, so do you want to grab some winter clothes?" Sirius asked.

Harry did a half shrug. "Sure."

They went over to the small winter stock and got Harry some long jeans, nice pants, and a few more jackets and sweaters. Harry liked simple clothes, and Sirius approved of how cheaply he was able to replenish almost his entire wardrobe.

On their way to the counter, Sirius grabbed an extra pair of blue plaid pajama pants. Harry didn't even notice which made Sirius smirk.

Watching all of the clothes get folded, Harry's brow furrowed. "Sirius, this seems like a lot…"

"Trust me, this is reasonable. Have you ever seen a girl shop?"

Harry looked up with a question lurking behind his eyes. "Have you…?"

"Yes, I have and they would have taken three times the time it took us to get just as many clothes and they would have been three times as expensive. Honestly, Harry, I'd rather try to make up for what you have been missing out on before now."

The clerk made no comments at their conversations but exchanged money with Sirius. With a swish of his wand, the clothes shrunk themselves into one bag which Harry carried with little effort.

"Now tell me about what were you were saying this morning Harry; what adventures have you and your friends gone on during your first two years of school?"

Harry didn't answer for a second. "Adventures? I don't know if I would call them that, although we always seem to find trouble."

Sirius smirked. "Your father and I were the same way."

The sun warmed the ground and the sky was a clear blue. It was borderline hot out, and Harry was thankful that he had thought to put on short and a t-shirt.

Sirius and Harry were walking down the stone path that leads from the nearby village to their house. It was only a one to two-mile walk, which they decided to embark on because Harry wasn't feeling up to apparating.

"Well during our first year at Hogwarts, Dumbledore had hidden the Sorcerer's Stone in the castle. I had seen Hagrid take it out a vault when we visited Gringotts before I rode the train to school."

"You were with Hagrid?"

"Oh, well yeah, he picked me up from the Dursleys… Actually, he gave my cousin a pigtail before we left. They weren't too happy to see the next summer, though…" Harry paused and Sirius was left speechless during the silence, cringing as he wondered what the Dursleys had tried to do to his Godson.

"Anyway, Hermione, Ron and I found out about Fluffy -"

"Who?"

"Hagrid's three-headed dog," Harry explained while Sirius nodded. "We had accidentally found it guarding a trapdoor on the third floor which was forbidden for students to enter."

Sirius nodded but then opened his mouth. Harry spoke quickly.

"Well when we found it, we were running away from Filch for some reason, and we didn't realize we were on the third floor."

Sirius's face turned sour. "Ah, Filch, the miserable squib. We would have gotten away with a lot more if it weren't for him and his scrawny cat."

Harry smiled. "Right," and he continued to explain how they had found out about the Sorcerer's Stone and how much they put into researching it. Sirius interjected frequently as Harry would forget to explain something.

They eventually turned down a wide dirt path that weaved through the woods back to his house and Harry continued telling Sirius about his first year at Hogwarts. He eventually reached the end of the story and told Sirius how Voldemort had gotten into the school.

"He was on the back of his head?"

"Yeah, and Quirrel hid him underneath his turban."

Sirius let out a breath and put his hands in his pockets. "You-Know-Who would stop at nothing to come back to power."

Harry watched the ground as he walked.

"You think that's what he is trying to do?"

Sirius stopped walking which made Harry turn around.

"You-Know-Who was in his prime when you were born, at the height of his power. You took everything away from him, and some people think you killed him, but he is still out there. You rid him of his power, something nobody else could do."

"I don't even remember it…" Harry said feeling awkward.

Sirius nodded and continued walking at their relaxed pace. "Still, it's a big deal. But anyway, while I was in Azkaban, there were some death eaters that talked about the honor they would receive when he returns. My cousin was particularly determined that he would rise again."

Harry got goosebumps thinking about, and his scar gave a noticeable twinge. "Well, I am 100% confident he is alive."

Sirius frowned "Unfortunately for all of us he is still alive… How are you so sure though? When was the last time you - I don't know, had a chat with You-Know-Who?"

Harry kicked at some stones on the ground as they walked. "Well during my second year a memory of Voldemort tried to kill me with a Basilisk - I will tell you that story another time - but technically that was Tom Riddle. I think Voldemort was still behind it, though, and he was working through Malfoy."

Sirius scowled. "The little git - If I could get my hands on him-"

Harry cut in. "But Voldemort has actually been fairly quiet this past year."

Sirius said nothing and Harry didn't look at his face as he continued. "I know he is out there, but he has not made any moves to try to get to me or to come back to power recently."

"How are you so sure he is out there?"

"Well…" Harry trailed off, thinking about his nightmare.

"Harry?"

They stopped at the edge of the woods, Black Manor only a 100 or so yards away.

"I sometimes have nightmares that make my scar hurt, only they're not exactly nightmares. It's hard to describe. I know that they are real and I often feel what Voldemort feels."

Sirius stared straight at Harry, instant concern evident on his face. "Your scar hurts?"

Harry shrugged. "Just for a little while, but I'm usually fine after an hour."

Sirius stepped towards him and place both hands on his shoulders, making Harry return Sirius' gaze. "Why didn't you say something?" Sirius asked.

"I didn't think it was a big deal, they're just nightmares, and I've had them before. Besides, there is nothing you can do about them."

"Alright… but please let us know if you have another, so we can help you any way we can."

Harry didn't understand. "There isn't anything you can-"

Sirius shook his head making Harry stop. Sirius dropped his arms and sighed. "I know you have never had an adult who cares about you in the past," Harry cringed and instantly curled his shoulders in on himself making himself small and vulnerable looking, "but now you have Remus and I. You can talk to us about anything, and we really want to help you. Any little cough or homework trouble, trust me, we want to help you."

"Okay," Harry said slowly, feeling almost ashamed that he had forgotten so quickly.

Sirius pulled him into a hug which Harry returned reluctantly. He had to forcefully repress a flinch because Sirius had moved very suddenly and was so close to him.

"Sorry"

"S'Fine," Harry said. They walked silently back to the house with Sirius keeping one arm around Harry's shoulders.

…

"Harry, have another serving, it's important that you get back to a healthy weight," Sirius said.

"Honestly, I'm fine, I feel so full already," Harry said smiling. Remus had a bright look on his face but didn't disagree with Sirius.

"I hope my cooking isn't that bad."

Harry sat back down and put some more food on his plate, and tried to eat it. He can't remember the last time he had eaten so much food over the summer.

As he slowly ate each bite Harry asked Remus, "The other day, why did you care so much about whether or not the Minister was at Sirius' trial?"

"Sirius and I were actually talking about this earlier today."

"We were?" Sirius said.

"Inadvertently, you'll see Padfoot," Remus said mysteriously as Sirius sighed.

Thoughtfulness passed over his face before he answered, "So I had been struck by how odd it was the Minister wasn't at Sirius's trial. He had been heavily involved in the search for Black and wanted to get him back behind bars as quickly as possible. He even came to Hogwarts to witness Sirius receive the Dementor's Kiss."

"Don't remind me," said Sirius.

Remus grimaced. "Yes, well you would think that he would come to see Sirius at such an important trial."

"Naturally," Harry said encouraging Remus to continue.

He paused for effect. "So I looked into it. Turns out he will be very busy this summer getting ready for the Quidditch World Cup and some other Tournament for students."

"Tournament?" Harry asked.

"Just some traditional competition to find talented Witches and Wizards and give them a small reward at the end. Really I don't know what all the hustle is about." Remus replied casually trying not to smirk. "I will tell you more about it in a second, I'm not there yet."

"Oh," Harry said and quickly forgot all about this Tournament as Remus continued to explain.

"So anyway, the Minister was making preparations for the Quidditch World Cup and he was actually on his way to come to Sirius's trial when he ran into someone. I only know this because the man he ran into is a friend of mine from childhood, and I've kept in touch."

"This friend of mine is the doctor of Bertha Jorkins, a lady with some memory trouble who needs her own doctor."

Sirius' face lit up as he remembered, "She was at Hogwarts when I was, a few years above your dad and me. And she was an idiot. Very nosy, but no brains, none at all. It's not a good combination, Harry."

Remus glanced between Sirius and Harry who had at this point finished his dinner. "Right, so you've heard of her. Fudge would never have found out she went missing if he hadn't bumped into her doctor who said she missed an appointment because Bertha said she was traveling to Australia. The Minister knew for a fact that she gone off to Albania and hadn't been answering letters. They put two and two together and now there is a notice out that she is missing."

"You got that excited over a missing person?" Harry asked.

Remus's face got slightly pink. "Well, normally I wouldn't worry so much, although that does answer my questions of why the Minister was not at your trial."

"Okay…" Sirius said trying to follow along. "Sorry to be so blunt Moony, honestly, but who cares? I was glad the Minister wasn't at my trial, but who is this Bertha Jorkins that the Minister was so concerned about?"

"That's the funny thing, normally the Minister of Magic wouldn't get so involved in the case of a missing person, especially someone who is not even the head of a Department. Bertha was working on something, though, something very secret that the Minister suspects that is why she's missing.

Harry's head was hurting from all this information. "Who is this Bertha Jorkins again?"

"She works in the Department of Magical Games and Sports at the Ministry."

Sirius stared at Remus. "I don't see your point."

"Bertha was helping organize both the Quidditch World Cup and the Tournament, and since she went missing, the Minister is now more involved in both events, and accidentally let slip some vital information about it to my friend who told me," Remus said beaming. "This is is how I found out the Tournament was taking place this year."

"You figured all that out?"

"Not exactly, my friend just told me most of what happened and I put two and two together - this isn't exactly public knowledge, this Tournament, you know!"

Harry got up to put his plate in the sink. "I thought you said the Tournament wasn't a big deal!"

"Well not for you, because you won't be competing. Why aren't you guys excited? This is a big deal and you guys are one of the first to know!"

Harry's face was beyond confused. Sirius nearly laughed.

"The Triwizard Tournament is coming to Hogwarts Harry! Now I remember! You're right Remus, I guess we did talk about this earlier today," Sirius said.

Harry replied with, "The Triwizard what?"

Sirius and Remus took turns explaining the old competition. When they finished Harry nodded in understanding.

"I wasn't sure if I should tell you or not, but it's not a big deal if you know as long as you don't go blabbing it to all your friends."

"I don't blab…" Harry said defensively.

Remus said, "Of course you don't. But this information right now is hush-hush but you're favorite guardian did some digging and found out what all the hubbub was about and why Dumbledore has been on international, school related trips to France."

"Wow," Harry said. "Well thanks for telling me."

"Sure thing Prongs Jr," Remus said cheerily. Sirius rolled his eyes but all three of them left the kitchen and thought of the exchange smiling because of Remus' excited energy.

…

Later that night Harry had climbed into bed and was about to take his glasses off and put them on his dresser when he realized his old toothbrush was still stuck to the dresser, impossibly attached. Harry smiled looking at it and quickly stood up.

He reached out again judging completely by feel and using his own magic to interact with the tingling feeling that had enveloped his body and empowered him to stick the toothbrush to the desk. He had tried at various times during the day to un-attach it, but to no avail. He didn't have the same energy and he didn't want to give himself another headache from exerting himself and trying to undo what he did. Before bed, though, he had nothing to lose.

He rolled his shoulders and tried to focus. He took a deep breath in and the tingling feeling came back easier this time, although not quite as violently as it had before.

He pointed directly at his target and felt a tendril of magic leave his body as he willed the toothbrush to unstick itself.

It shifted ever so slightly and Harry could feel the edge of the toothbrush unwelding itself from the desk and if felt surreal, as if Harry's own hand was gently pulling it out of its' stuck position.

Harry instantly relaxed and his mind seemed at peace, if not tired and weary from the effort.

It had worked.

He could pick up the toothbrush easily. Harry fist pumped the air and twirled the toothbrush around his fingers. He was too tired of trying again right now, but he was confident that he could master this new skill within the next few days just in time for their prank.

And what a fantastic prank it will be.

…

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This chapter was kinda different than the other ones I do, but I like to keep you guys on your toes and appreciative of a complicated plot. I realize this is basically an AU fanfiction, and I'm having a lot of fun figuring out how I am going to make my story different from the books, how that affects certain events and even the development of the characters. Please review and let me know if you want to see anything in this fanfiction! There will be some more scenes relating to Harry's abuse with the Dursleys in the next chapter, and I hope to get that out soon!

PS: If you have any questions about what happened in this chapter please let me know in a review - I thought through almost everything I wrote and would enjoy explaining something if you want me to :-)


	15. You're Never Alone

**Chapter Fifteen: You're Never Alone**

 **By: PenDiva**

 **DISCLAIMER:** Yada, yada, J. K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, no big surprise there but I put this here so you won't sue me:-)

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Sorry for the long wait, but here is my next chapter! Let me know what you think in a review!

…

Harry groaned and slumped down further into the living room couch. "Why would he assign us three essays?"

Sirius laughed and said, "I hated him in school, and I can't imagine how awful he must be as a teacher… Slimy git hated all four of us."

"I'm not surprised."

Remus called out from the library, "You said Medieval witch burnings right? That seems like a really gory topic!"

"I know, but it's for History of Magic," Harry replied.

Sirius walked over from where he was sitting and peered over Harry's soldiers. "So you have to 'describe every ingredient for the Wiggenweld Potion and explain their purpose in the final potion in an essay that is 5-6 rolls of parchment long'. That sounds like fun," Sirius said with a smirk.

Harry rolled his eyes and whined, "Don't you know how many ingredients are in that potion? The list is repulsive to look at! Look - here, let me read this: one pint of Horklump, 2 drops of Flobberworm Mucus, 7 Chizpurfle Fangs, Billywig Sting Slime, a sprig of Mint, Boom Berry Juice, one stewed Mandrake, drops of Honeywater, Sloth Brain Mucus - the list goes on!"

Harry sat up and turned around to face his godfather. "I don't even know what half of these are!"

Remus walked into the room and, upon hearing the conversation mentioned, "We have a few elaborate potion books if you need help."

"Oh joy, more reading."

Remus set down two books which Harry looked through. He thanked Remus who walked out of the room again.

"Honestly, I thought the point of summer is that you are on vacation, but apparently the teachers don't understand what the word vacation means. I bet Hermione had already done all of this and has read the books for this year."

"Alright, enough complaining, just get it done and then you won't have to worry about it anymore," Sirius said.

"At least I'm here and not at the Dursleys where I am actually allowed to do my homework."

Sirius stopped by the couch upon hearing that but Harry was too busy fuming to notice.

Harry made another grumbling sound, and Sirius began to slowly leave but Harry said, "What you don't want to suffer through Potions essays, Padfoot?"

"Nope, I think I will leave you to it, Prongs Jr!"

Harry rolled his eyes and laid back on the couch and simply stared at all of his work. Sighing again, he got to work begrudgingly.

…

The fireplace came to life with green as Sirius stepped through quickly followed by Remus. They had just told Harry they had to speak with Dumbledore and left him at home.

Sirius turned his head searching for the old wizard.

"Dumbledore I think we have something to talk about."

They a heard a little noise above their heads.

"Then by all means, let us sit down and discuss what needs to be discussed. But I do hope we can be finished by noon, I have to oversee a very important construction going on for an event at Hogwarts next year."

Remus had an irritated look but smiled. "I told Sirius about the Triwizard Tournament already."

Dumbledore chuckled to himself. "In that case? You are welcome to join me at noon. I just hope you haven't told dear Harry."

Sirius took a step forward. "No, but that's what we are here to discuss."

Dumbledore started walking down the stairs. "I assume he's enjoying his summer?"

"Yes, he's fine. But enough with the pleasantries Dumbledore, we have a serious issue to discuss; no pun intended," Sirius said glaring.

Dumbledore's twinkling smile shrunk. He moved quickly behind his desk and allowed the other gentlemen to sit down in the chairs opposite him.

"Have you talked to Poppy at all?" Remus asked.

Dumbledore thought briefly. "I haven't seen her since June. I was busy dealing with foreign affairs, and when I came back she was already gone for her own family vacation."

Sirius huffed. "Well, it might've done some good to talk to her every once and awhile about the well-being of her students."

Dumbledore let him continue with a gesture of his hands.

"When we picked up Harry from the Dursleys, he had used accidental magic to conceal the fact that he had a broken ankle, several broken ribs, and so many bruises that it was impossible to distinguish him limb from limb."

Dumbledore leaned forward but his lips were sealed in a straight line.

Remus continued. "That's not just everyday bullying done by Dursleys gang, Professor. Harry's relatives abused him, his entire life."

Sirius stood up. "Harry was so afraid of his relatives he can barely talk about it! He hasn't even talked to Remus about it yet!"

Dumbledore asked quietly, "Does the ministry know?"

"WHO BLOODY CARES?"

"Sirius," Remus started.

Sirius wanted to explode. "You placed him at the Dursleys for protection, which is the worst thing you could've done. They starved him, locked him in a cupboard, and every time he did magic, his uncle would beat him - sometimes with him his own hands."

Dumbledore did not look well. "I -I had no idea…"

"Well, of course, you didn't have any bloody idea! What the hell were you thinking anyway!"

"I assure you, if I had any idea - any inkling of a dream that they were abusing him, I would've moved Harry to a safer home."

Remus shook his head and cut off whatever Sirius was about to say. "But you didn't! You placed a baby on the doorsteps of a Muggle family that hates magic and then never cared to check up on him as he grew up."

Dumbledore instinctively defended himself. "I can not visit every single muggle born wizard during my Holidays, out of courtesy, or-"

"Not even Harry Potter? Your precious golden boy?"

Dumbledore's blue eyes were sharp and hostile. He didn't reply and Sirius quickly continued.

"Harry said he asked you if he could stay at Hogwarts over the summer. Didn't that send up a red flag for you? Harry Potter doesn't want to go home to the Dursley's, probably because he knew his last meal at Hogwarts was the best meal he would get for the next three months!"

"Sirius, I had no idea, and Harry never said anything or given any inclination-"

Remus said, "He was very good at hiding it."

Dumbledore stood up with a strict frown on his face. He wakes around his desk. "I put Harry with those Muggles to protect him. His mother's protection saved his life in his first year, and I honestly believed it was the safest place for him."

Sirius scoffed as he said, "Yeah, well, depends on what you call safe."

"I understand that you blame me, but please know that I will never forgive myself for this."

"Good because I won't either," Sirius spat.

The Headmaster's voice changed. "Sirius Black I understand that you care about Harry, but please know that everything I have done for Harry was for his own protection. If I had known what I was doing was hurting Harry, I would not have done it!"

Remus looked down at his hands. Sirius stared into Dumbledore's blue eyes, noticing his usual twinkle was gone.

"I will ask you again, does the ministry know?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Oh Merlin, do you even care about how Harry is doing right now?"

Remus said, "They don't know anything, Dumbledore. Nobody said anything, and I would like to keep it that way."

"Exactly my point. All Harry needs right now is the entire wizarding world knowing everything about his personal life. He doesn't need more attention."

Sirius's mouth was shut but his eyes reflected his infuriation. Remus stood up.

"I think that's all we need to talk about for right now. If you need anything, send us an owl, but I think it's best we return home."

"Yes, I think that's wise Remus. This conversation was… informative. I will never forgive myself."

Sirius didn't look at the Professor as he made to leave.

"Hold on for a moment, though," Dumbledore said, trying not to smile at what he was thinking about. "Since no authorities are informed about what poor Harry has gone through, the Dursleys will not be receiving any punishment."

Remus's eyes widened. "Sir, are you suggesting-"

"I think it would be shame if all of your…prancing talent went to waste…especially when there is a cause like this."

Sirius didn't know what to say.

Dumbledore and Remus shared a look but a smirking Sirius was already standing at the fireplace. Remus followed him soon after, trying to watch Dumbledore sit down at his desk looking very troubled but somewhat satisfied before the green flames consumed him.

…

Harry sighed dramatically and plopped down on his bed. His writing hand ached but a content smile was plastered on his face. He had knocked out one of his potions essays in the past few hours, and felt like it was decent. Of course, Snape would give him a lousy grade no matter what he wrote down, but at least this time he felt like he deserved a good grade.

Sirius and Remus were still gone, but Harry's stomach was growling. He walked down the stairs and through the dining room to get to the kitchen. He found everything he needed in the white cabinets, and he quickly got started on a noodle soup.

His hands worked methodically even though his mind was miles away. He was thinking about his friends coming over for his birthday party. He had never been able to have friends over at his house, or proudly show them around his room. Until recently, he had never been able to make soup on the stove knowing that he would be allowed to have as much of it as he wanted. In fact, he had never been able to say that he had enjoyed his summer, but this last month changed all that.

Harry turned off the stove and filled a bowl with the steaming soup.

He heard a noise in the living room and Sirius wakes into the kitchen moments later.

"Hey, Prongs Jr. hope you didn't miss us too much."

"No, not too much. I only had to cook this soup to keep me company."

Sirius smirked. "Har har… Wait you actually cooked this soup? Without magic?"

Harry looked around awkwardly. "I wouldn't know how else to cook soup-"

"Because it looks fantastic. Hope you don't mind me having some."

"Not at all," Harry said, trying not to grin too much as he blew on his own soup.

A calm Remus walked in and stopped. "Smells great in here."

"Remus try this soup; Harry made it!"

One cup of noodle soup later, Remus said, "Well he's a much better cook than you are Sirius."

Sirius started washing his bowl out. "Oh sure, make of me Remus."

Harry let Remus take his own bowl as he stood up from his chair to leave.

"One second, Harry I want to ask you something."

Harry sat back down.

Remus came over and took the chair next to him. "So…well actually I don't know how to say this…"

"Go on," Harry encouraged, wondering what he was he thinking.

"So you know Sirius and I were a part of the Marauders, and are actually the only members of the group left except for Peter…"

Harry nodded. Remus said slowly, "Well, I want to hear your opinion about prancing the Dursley's and making them regret ever mistreating you."

Harry's mouth opened and didn't close. He wasn't expecting that one.

Articulate as ever, he said, "Uh, well I…erm, I wasn't expecting that."

Sirius tried not to laugh. "Not everyday Remus considers enacting revenge, Harry."

Harry gave a small sigh. "Well, as long as you don't hurt them. Nobody should have to go through what they did to me."

Remus gave a sly smile. "Never fear Harry, I'm sure Sirius and I can get creative."

Harry gawked at his previous Professor, not able to believe that he was actually going to follow through with this.

"Harry, I don't like to break rules or do thinking things, but when I do," he smiled again, "I have a hell of a good reason to."

Harry beamed. "Alright, you guys can do that. You should know that they hate all magic. So basically anything involving magic would scare them half to death."

Sirius leaned on the kitchen wall as he said, "I can't believe Dumbledore thought of this before we did."

Remus agreed, "He is always full of surprises."

Harry's brow furrowed and his expression was that of confusion. "What about Dumbledore?"

Remus glanced into Harry's green eyes. "That's where we went this morning. I wanted to talk to Dumbledore-"

"I blame him for placing you at the Dursley's," Sirius added.

"-and he actually suggested enacting revenge against your relatives," Remus finished.

Harry nodded slowly, gripping the chair in front of him. "And, what else did he say? Well, what else did you talk about?"

Remus' face lost its smile. "We told him about what happened at the Dursley's. He said he had no idea," Remus shot Sirius a glare that said 'shut your mouth', "and if he had known, he never would have sent you there."

"Well, that's," Harry searched for a word, "good."

Sirius watched his face carefully. Harry looked content but very thoughtful. What he was thinking, Sirius could never guess, but he reckoned Harry was much more forgiving of Dumbledore than he was.

Sirius cleared his throat. "Oi, Remus, I have an idea."

Remus turned towards his friend.

"I ever I introduce you to Kreacher? My family's house elf?"

Remus gave a negative shake of his head. Harry paused his train of thought. "Hang on, you have a house elf? Named Creature?"

"Kreacher, yes, but he is probably roaming around Grimmauld Place, my parents other home. It's a barren place that I always suffocated in, and I doubt Kreacher is really doing anything to keep it tidy. He is still loyal to me, though - I mean technically."

Remus raised one eyebrow.

Sirius said, "Well, we never really got along, but he would probably still do something for me if I ask him too."

Harry asked, "Doesn't he have to?"

"I mean yeah, I don't know if it matters that my family disowned me. But j was thinking that we don't have time to stalk the Dursley's and play a prank on them every weekend and twice on the weekdays. Kreacher, however, has nothing better to do, and something tells me he would enjoy tormenting Muggles."

Harry smirked at the thought of his aunt coming in contact with a House Elf.

"Kreacher!" Sirius called.

They waited in awkward silence when there was a crack near the door. A house elf appeared with a crooked nose and a scowling expression.

"Yesss master?"

"I need you to do something for me, and this is very important."

Kreacher craned his head at Harry and Remus. His voice was cold and his attitude sarcastic. "Well, it's always a pleasure to serve the noble house of Black, even if it is living with blood traitors and enemies to Dark Lord-"

"ENOUGH! I will not have you insulting my godson or anyone else in my company." Sirius watched the elf cower into a bow and was half tempted to kick Kreacher.

Sirius continued. "There is a certain Muggle family that has been," he paused and tried to think of how to phrase it, "providing a home for the Dark Lord's enemies. These Muggles have done terrible things, and need to be punished."

Kreacher looked up. "The Muggles is working against the Dark Lord?"

"Yes, and unfortunately I am too busy to make their lives miserable-"

"Master Sirius is wanting to punish these naughty Muggles? Master Sirius is wanting to do naughty things?"

Harry and Remus shared a look and we're trying not to laugh. Sirius nodded solemnly. "I, well, yes Kreacher, I've come around. I escaped from Azkaban to do naughty things, that's right."

Kreacher brightened up and actually looked happy for a house elf. "I knew you was going to Azkaban because you really had done evil. They got it wrong, you really is a murderer, and now you has escaped to do more bad things."

Sirius nearly choked, and refused to look at Harry and Remus' surprised faces. "Right, Kreacher, I have finally come around."

"Kreacher hopped onto the table. "Is Master Sirius going to be like Master Regulus and become a death eater too?"

"I um…haven't decided yet. I might want to go undercover as a, a- death e-eater." Sirius could barely believe what he was saying.

Kreacher nodded and started to babble. "Of course, Master. O Kreacher has been wrong to spit on Master Sirius's things in Grimmauld Place. Kreacher was doing wrong not to clean it. Very sorry, Master Sirius, but Kreacher will now serve Master Sirius who has come to his sense and wants to do bad."

Harry watched Sirius try to look stern.

"I might have more instructions for you later Kreacher, but for now I don't want you to hurt these Muggles," Kreacher looked disappointed, "yet, but I want you to make their lives miserable."

Kreacher nodded enthusiastically. "They live at Number 4, Privet Drive in Little Whinging, Surrey. Think you can find it?"

"Not to worry, Master Sirius, not to worry. Thank you, Master, I will do what you ask. The Muggle tractors will never live a comfortable day again."

With that and another creepy smile, he vanished. Sirius sighed loudly, and Remus and Harry laughed, unable to hold it in.

Remus started, "That was-"

"Interesting," Harry said.

"Enlightening," Sirius admitted.

Remus snorted, "Bloody hilarious!"

Sirius gave a little chuckle. "Remind me - anytime I talk to Kreacher I have to pretend to be an evil-doing death eater that wants to go undercover for the Dark Lord."

Harry just kept laughing. Sirius shrugged as he said, "I didn't even know what to say! Merin, that was weird." He shook his head and ran his hand through his hair.

Remus replied with, "Well, at least we know the Dursley's won't be enjoying themselves this summer. And I still want to plan a few pranks of our own, Sirius."

Sirius smiled. "Just like the good old days."

…

Harry Potter went to bed smiling but had been thinking about his relatives more so today than ever. He had been extremely self conscious when he had first come here but had been able to relax more. He had fought his natural instinct to wake up early and make breakfast, do the dishes after every meal, and stay out of everyone's way. This house felt nothing like the Dursley's, but old habits die hard.

Harry got under the covers and sighed, feeling safe and warm. He had been lucky, and very few nightmares have plagued his sleep since coming to Black Manor, but they always come back. The Dursley's always come back to haunt him, as much as Harry hated to admit it.

Hours later before the sun had made its presence above the trees, Harry started to toss in his bed. His covers were tangled around his legs, and his door was open.

He started to make miserable, almost pained noises. Remus had never been so thankful for his werewolf hearing as he shot out of bed. Harry started protesting in his sleep.

"No…. please no!"

Remus was in Harry's room in seconds, feeling worried and scared.

"Harry," he pleaded.

Harry's eyes were shut tight and his fists were clenched. He rolled onto his side and made a painful gasping sound.

Remus tried to gently shake him awake with his hand on Harry's shoulder. "It's only a dream, you're safe Harry-"

Harry spoke loudly now. "No, Uncle, no please!"

Remus did not let himself be overcome by the fear forming in his stomach and the disturbing knot in his gut.

"Harry - HARRY!" Remus gave him one last shake.

All of a sudden Harry gasped and jerked awake shaking. In a second, he noticed Remus's hand on his shoulder and violently jerked away, turning over his bed. He gave a startled breath and nearly fell off the bed trying to get away.

Harry was panting and shut his eyes for a second, hating himself at the moment. He opened his eyes and squinted through the darkness.

He had to reach over onto his bedside table to reach his glasses. "Remus?"

"Harry, are you alright?"

He hesitated before he nodded. He shoved away his covers and brought his legs under him, trying to shake the very realistic pain he has just felt.

Remus sat down on the edge of his bed but didn't reach out to Harry or say anything. Harry looked down and got his breathing under control.

"I- I'm sorry if I woke you, Remus."

Remus wanted to crumble on the inside from hearing Harry's voice.

"No, I'm glad you did. I would hate for you to be alone after a nightmare."

Harry was unsure what Remus was talking about. "No, it's fine… I- I'm fine, really."

"No, you are not, you can barely talk." Remus sighed. "Harry, it's okay. We're family now, and you can talk to us. You don't have to keep it all to yourself."

Harry absentmindedly played with his hands.

Remus said quietly, "I would have nightmares too." Finally, Harry looked up, although he tried not to reveal the I shed tears in his eyes. "I would dream about my transformations and what I might do on accident. I hated myself for what I was, for who I was, at least until I talked to someone about it."

Harry looked to the side awkwardly as Remus spoke. "I talked to your dad, Sirius, and Peter about it, and that's why they decided to become animagus. So that I wasn't alone anymore during my transformations."

Harry nodded, unsure of what else to do. Of course, he knew this already.

"I don't want you to ever forget that Harry, you're not alone. You will never be alone anymore."

Harry sniffled. Remus wanted to pull him into a hug but didn't yet. "Would you like to talk about your dream, Harry?"

Harry opened his mouth slowly. "I- I was younger, living at the Dursleys before I knew about magic. I had burned some food, and I don't know if this is a memory or a nightmare, but Uncle Vernon was beating me… I couldn't scream, but it felt so real. He said he would put me in my cupboard and never let me out or give me anything to eat. I asked him not to- I kept asking, and he kept hitting me, and I- I didn't know if it was ever going to end…" Harry finished. He held back tears and sniffled again.

Remus reached his arm out, even though Harry flinched, and waited. Then Harry scorched over and accepted the hug, glad to feel someone's arms around him.

"That man will never hurt you again, Harry," Remus said.

They broke apart from their hug, Harry feeling awkward because he wanted to cry.

"I don't want to go to sleep again," Harry stated honestly.

Remus got into a more comfortable position on the couch.

"We can talk longer if you'd like," Remus said to which Harry nodded.

Harry asked,"Did Sirius ever…"

"Sirius never told me anything from your conversation with him about the Dursley's."

Harry kind of nodded, almost glad to hear that. He didn't know why, but he felt like telling Remus, for himself. Harry felt like he could talk about it now.

"Can I…"

"You can tell me anything you want. I will just listen."

Harry nodded and then quickly added. "Just don't get angry because of what I tell you - Vernon was always angry…"

Harry launched into another retelling of the first eleven years of his life. Remus listened painfully to how Harry was starved, mistreated, bullied, ignored, and not giving any proper care or love. He was astonished to hear about what they called Harry, how they didn't give him any clothes or toys. He struggled not to get angry when Harry explained his summers away from Hogwarts that were spent in his bedroom with bars on his window and many locks on his door, nursing his own wounds from his Uncle Vernon.

When Harry finished summarizing what had happened this last June, Remus was near tears and Harry had already shed a few. Remus was glad they had already sent to inflict misery on those awful Muggles because otherwise Remus would go there this instant to give them a piece of his mind.

"Remus?" Harry said hesitantly, voice slightly raw from so much talking.

Remus wrapped him in another hug. "I am so sorry…. I am so so sorry."

…

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Very sorry for the long wait everyone! Next chapter is Harry's birthday party - yay! Now that it's summer, I have so much more time on my hands and can actually be a good writer. Please review and let me know what you think - I only got about two last chapter and one of them was very negative :-( I'm going to start responding to them too since I like it when other authors do that.

Thanks, all - PenDiva1


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